JOHN E AMOS
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 2,933 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Putnam County
- Operator
- APPALACHIAN POWER CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1971
- EIA plant ID
- 3935
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Net generation (2024)
- 9,613 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 37%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 38.4733, -81.8228
JOHN E AMOS, a 2,933 MW Coal power plant in Putnam County, West Virginia. Operated by APPALACHIAN POWER CO, commissioned 1971.
How JOHN E AMOS compares
With 2,933 MW of capacity, JOHN E AMOS is the largest of the 31 operating power plants Bywatts maps in West Virginia and the largest of the 10 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 24% of West Virginia's operating Coal capacity and 19% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 7th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1971, it is older than 58% of the 31 operating West Virginia plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, APPALACHIAN POWER CO, runs 6 operating plants in West Virginia totaling 4,805 MW. It shares Putnam County with one other operating plant, WINFIELD.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 2,933 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional steam coal technology. Net generation was 9,613 GWh in 2024 (a 37% capacity factor), up 32% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1971 and 1973.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is JOHN AMOS (765 kV), about 0.4 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 765 kV line owned by APPALACHIAN POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 39 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is WINFIELD (25 MW, Hydro).
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
JOHN E AMOS is a 2,933 MW coal power plant in Putnam County, WV, operated by APPALACHIAN POWER CO, commissioned in 1971. Putnam County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.2 of 5 at the 30th national percentile. Riverine flooding 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.
Putnam County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 2.3 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 47.6 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 0.41 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 8.6 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 51st | 3.0 of 5 | 4.5 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.03 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 41st | 2.6 of 5 | 2.9 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 36th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.05 |
Perils not assessed in Putnam 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 Putnam 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.