BELLE RIVER
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 1,664 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- St. Clair County
- Operator
- THE DTE ELECTRIC COMPANY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1981
- EIA plant ID
- 6034
- Generators
- 10
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Net generation (2024)
- 6,244 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 43%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 42.7746, -82.4947
BELLE RIVER, a 1,664 MW Coal power plant in St. Clair County, Michigan. Operated by THE DTE ELECTRIC COMPANY, commissioned 1981.
How BELLE RIVER compares
With 1,664 MW of capacity, BELLE RIVER ranks 6th among the 171 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Michigan and 3rd of the 9 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 19% of Michigan's operating Coal capacity and 6.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 58th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1981, it is newer than 49% of the 168 operating Michigan plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, THE DTE ELECTRIC COMPANY, runs 17 operating plants in Michigan totaling 8,054 MW. It shares St. Clair County with 6 other operating plants, including GREENWOOD and DTE EAST CHINA LLC.
EIA-860 lists 10 generators at the site with 1,664 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly conventional steam coal technology. Net generation was 6,244 GWh in 2024 (a 43% capacity factor), down 8% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1981 and 1999.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line, about 0.1 miles away. Another 6 operating power plants totaling 389 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is DTE EAST CHINA LLC (358 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
BELLE RIVER is a 1,664 MW coal power plant in St. Clair County, MI, operated by THE DTE ELECTRIC COMPANY, commissioned in 1981. St. Clair County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.7 of 5 at the 17th national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 80th 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.
St. Clair County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 2.4 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 74th | 4.0 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 32.3 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 1.0 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 12.9 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 44th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.21 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 26th | 2.0 of 5 | 1.7 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 23rd | 1.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively Low | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 14th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for St. Clair 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.