EMPIRE ENERGY CENTER
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 379 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Jasper County
- Operator
- EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1978
- EIA plant ID
- 6223
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 134 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 4%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.1385, -94.1041
EMPIRE ENERGY CENTER, a 379 MW Natural Gas power plant in Jasper County, Missouri. Operated by EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO, commissioned 1978.
How EMPIRE ENERGY CENTER compares
With 379 MW of capacity, EMPIRE ENERGY CENTER ranks 15th among the 92 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Missouri and 5th of the 23 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 7.4% of Missouri's operating Natural Gas capacity and 2.0% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 393rd-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1978, it is newer than 46% of the 89 operating Missouri plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO, runs 3 operating plants in Missouri totaling 1,086 MW. It shares Jasper County with 2 other operating plants, STATE LINE COMBINED CYCLE and CARTHAGE.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 379 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 134 GWh in 2024 (a 4% capacity factor), down 52% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1978 and 2003.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO, about 0.1 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: CARTHAGE (42 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
EMPIRE ENERGY CENTER is a 379 MW natural gas power plant in Jasper County, MO, operated by EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC CO, commissioned in 1978. Jasper County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.9 of 5 at the 73rd national percentile. Ice storm is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 91st 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.
Jasper County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice storm | Very High | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 16.4 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 87th | 4.5 of 5 | 0.52 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 10.5 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | 7.5 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | 55.5 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 62nd | 3.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | 4.9 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 55th | 3.2 of 5 | 6.0 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 20th | 1.8 of 5 | 0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Jasper 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 Jasper 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.