Shawnee
Shawnee is a coal plant in McCracken County, Kentucky, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. It ranks fifth by nameplate capacity among Kentucky’s 62 power plants. Counting by its oldest working unit (1953), it is the tenth-oldest of the 195 coal plants still running in the United States. The operator has reported planned retirement dates for 1,400 MW of it, in 2033. Its oldest working unit dates from 1953, earlier than at any other coal plant in Kentucky.
Nameplate capacity, 2025
1,575 MW
1,206 MW net summer capacity
9 operable units
- Coal steam1,575 MW100%
Unit by unit, 1953 to 2025
operating in 2025retiredreported planned retirementbar height follows unit size
Among Kentucky’s plants
Largest plants in the state by nameplate capacity, with the plants ranked next to this one.
- 1Trimble County2,594 MW
- 2Ghent2,226 MW
- 3Paradise1,854 MW
- 4H L Spurlock1,608 MW
- 5Shawneethis plant
- 6E W Brown1,458 MW
- 7Mill Creek (KY)1,362 MW
Other rankings
- All US power plants
- 134th of 14,286
- US coal plants
- 45th of 195
- Coal plants in Kentucky
- 4th of 8
- Plants in the Tennessee Valley Authority balancing area
- 11th of 152
- Plants run by Tennessee Valley Authority
- 11th of 53
- Biggest single unit, among Kentucky’s plants
- 18th of 62
Operable units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1953 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
| 2 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1953 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
| 3 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1953 | Operating |
| 4 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1954 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
| 5 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1954 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
| 6 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1954 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
| 7 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1954 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
| 8 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1955 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
| 9 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 134 MW | 1955 | Operating, retirement planned for 2033 |
Retired units
Retired capacity here totals 175 MW, mostly coal units.
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | In service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Coal steam | 175 MW | 1956–2014 |
Grid and site
- Balancing area
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- Reliability region
- SERC Reliability Corporation
- Highest grid connection voltage
- 161 kV
- Water source
- Ohio River
- Nearest town on record
- West Paducah
- Operator type
- Utility
- Coordinates
- 37.152°N, 88.775°W
Closest plants
| Plant | Runs on | Capacity | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPS Power Plant No 1 | Natural gas | 120 MW | 12.0 mi southeast |
| Smithland Hydroelectric Plant | Hydroelectric | 75.9 MW | 19.6 mi east |
| Mound City Solar | Solar | 5 MW | 22.5 mi west |
| Marshall Energy Facility | Natural gas | 688 MW | 22.6 mi east |
| Calvert City | Natural gas | 26.7 MW | 24.3 mi east |
| Kentucky Dam | Hydroelectric | 219 MW | 29.5 mi east |
| Barkley | Hydroelectric | 130 MW | 31.8 mi east |
| Marion | Natural gas | 249 MW | 33.8 mi north |