SHAWNEE
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 1,750 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- McCracken County
- Operator
- TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1953
- EIA plant ID
- 1379
- Generators
- 9
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Net generation (2024)
- 5,800 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 42%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.1518, -88.7773
SHAWNEE, a 1,750 MW Coal power plant in McCracken County, Kentucky. Operated by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, commissioned 1953.
How SHAWNEE compares
With 1,750 MW of capacity, SHAWNEE ranks 4th among the 31 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Kentucky and 4th of the 12 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 11% of Kentucky's operating Coal capacity and 8.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 49th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1953, it is older than 80% of the 30 operating Kentucky plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, runs 4 operating plants in Kentucky totaling 5,215 MW. It shares McCracken County with one other operating plant, PPS POWER PLANT NO 1.
EIA-860 lists 9 generators at the site with 1,575 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional steam coal technology. Net generation was 5,800 GWh in 2024 (a 42% capacity factor), down 3% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1953 and 1955.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is SHAWNEE (500 kV), about 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 835 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is MARSHALL ENERGY FACILITY (688 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
SHAWNEE is a 1,750 MW coal power plant in McCracken County, KY, operated by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, commissioned in 1953. McCracken County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.7 of 5 at the 67th national percentile. Earthquake is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 98th 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.
McCracken County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 1.2 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 6.7 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | 5.2 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 3.0 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | 4.0 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.23 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 44th | 2.8 of 5 | 10.6 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 33rd | 2.3 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 21st | 1.8 of 5 | 56.5 |
Perils not assessed in McCracken 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 McCracken 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.