RIVERTON
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 281 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Cherokee County
- Operator
- EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1988
- EIA plant ID
- 1239
- Generators
- 4
- Net generation (2024)
- 1,252 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 47%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.0726, -94.6987
RIVERTON, a 281 MW Coal power plant in Cherokee County, Kansas. Operated by EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO, commissioned 1988.
How RIVERTON compares
With 281 MW of capacity, RIVERTON ranks 13th among the 115 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Kansas and is the smallest of the 7 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 5.0% of Kansas's operating Coal capacity and 2.0% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 193rd-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1988, it is newer than 58% of the 113 operating Kansas plants with a recorded commissioning year.
Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 300 MW of nameplate capacity. Net generation was 1,252 GWh in 2024 (a 47% capacity factor), down 15% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1988 and 2016.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 732 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is STATE LINE COMBINED CYCLE (691 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
RIVERTON is a 281 MW coal power plant in Cherokee County, KS, operated by EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO, commissioned in 1988. Cherokee County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.9 of 5 at the 73rd national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 94th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a coal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Cherokee County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 16.4 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | 5.9 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 92nd | 4.7 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 0.49 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 9.8 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 7.3 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 4.2 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 65th | 3.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 55.2 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 21st | 1.8 of 5 | 0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Cherokee 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 |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Cherokee 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.