HUTCHINSON ENERGY CENTER
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 474 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Reno County
- Operator
- WESTAR ENERGY INC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1974
- EIA plant ID
- 1248
- Generators
- 5
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 29.1 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 1%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 38.0901, -97.8736
HUTCHINSON ENERGY CENTER, a 474 MW Natural Gas power plant in Reno County, Kansas. Operated by WESTAR ENERGY INC, commissioned 1974.
How HUTCHINSON ENERGY CENTER compares
With 474 MW of capacity, HUTCHINSON ENERGY CENTER ranks 6th among the 115 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Kansas and 2nd of the 53 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 12% of Kansas's operating Natural Gas capacity and 3.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 344th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1974, it is newer than 51% of the 113 operating Kansas plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, WESTAR ENERGY INC, runs 6 operating plants in Kansas totaling 4,079 MW.
EIA-860 lists 5 generators at the site with 345 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly natural gas fired combustion turbine technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 474 MW). Net generation was 29.1 GWh in 2024 (a 1% capacity factor). Its generators came online between 1974 and 1983.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 225 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is MCPHERSON 2 (215 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
HUTCHINSON ENERGY CENTER is a 474 MW natural gas power plant in Reno County, KS, operated by WESTAR ENERGY INC, commissioned in 1974. Reno County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.4 of 5 at the 84th national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 96th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Reno County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | 11.8 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Very High | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 1.0 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | 7.2 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 87th | 4.5 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 86th | 4.5 of 5 | 11.6 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 11.4 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 1.7 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 47.8 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 25th | 2.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Reno County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Reno County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.