South Oak Creek
South Oak Creek is a coal plant in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, operated by Wisconsin Electric Power Co. A further 1,182 MW of new generating units is reported as planned or under construction on the site. The operator has reported planned retirement dates for 642 MW of it, in 2027. Retired units here add up to 618 MW across 3 units, taken out of service between 2008 and 2024. Its oldest working unit dates from 1965, the second-earliest start among Wisconsin’s 7 coal plants.
Nameplate capacity, 2025
642 MW
616 MW net summer capacity
2 operable units
- Coal steam642 MW100%
Unit by unit, 1959 to 2025
operating in 2025retiredreported planned retirementbar height follows unit size
Unit 5 Coal steam, 299 MW, 1959–2024
Unit 6 Coal steam, 299 MW, 1961–2024
Unit 7 Coal steam, 318 MW, 1965
Unit 8 Coal steam, 324 MW, 1967
Unit 9 Gas combustion turbine, 19.6 MW, 1968–2008
Among Wisconsin’s plants
Largest plants in the state by nameplate capacity, with the plants ranked next to this one.
- 1Elm Road Generating Station1,403 MW
- 2Point Beach Nuclear Plant1,311 MW
- 3Port Washington Generating Station1,230 MW
- 6West Riverside Energy Center728 MW
- 7Riverside Energy Center675 MW
- 8South Oak Creekthis plant
- 9Fox Energy Center619 MW
- 10RockGen Energy Center561 MW
Other rankings
- All US power plants
- 560th of 14,286
- Power plants in Wisconsin
- 8th of 271
- US coal plants
- 105th of 195
- Coal plants in Wisconsin
- 4th of 7
- Plants in the MISO (Midcontinent) balancing area
- 86th of 2,383
- Plants run by Wisconsin Electric Power Co
- 3rd of 52
- Biggest single unit, among Wisconsin’s plants
- 7th of 271
Operable units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Coal steam | 318 MW | 306 MW | 1965 | Operating, retirement planned for 2027 |
| 8 | Coal steam | 324 MW | 310 MW | 1967 | Operating, retirement planned for 2027 |
Retired units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | In service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Gas combustion turbine | 19.6 MW | 1968–2008 |
| 5 | Coal steam | 299 MW | 1959–2024 |
| 6 | Coal steam | 299 MW | 1961–2024 |
New units reported to EIA
| Technology | Nameplate | Expected | Stage at end of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas combustion turbine | 236 MW | 2028 | awaiting approvals |
| Gas combustion turbine | 236 MW | 2028 | awaiting approvals |
| Gas combustion turbine | 236 MW | 2028 | awaiting approvals |
| Gas combustion turbine | 236 MW | 2028 | awaiting approvals |
| Gas combustion turbine | 236 MW | 2028 | awaiting approvals |
Grid and site
- Balancing area
- MISO (Midcontinent)
- Reliability region
- ReliabilityFirst
- Highest grid connection voltage
- 230 kV
- Water source
- Lake Michigan
- Nearest town on record
- Oak Creek
- Operator type
- Utility
- Coordinates
- 42.846°N, 87.829°W
Closest plants
| Plant | Runs on | Capacity | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elm Road Generating Station | Coal | 1,403 MW | 0.3 mi northwest |
| MMSD South Shore Wastewater | Biomass and waste | 5.1 MW | 2.9 mi north |
| IKEA Oak Creek Rooftop PV System | Solar | 1.2 MW | 6.7 mi northwest |
| Adams Road Solar | Solar | 4 MW | 6.7 mi southwest |
| City of Milwaukee Landfill | Solar | 2.3 MW | 6.8 mi northwest |
| ATI | Solar | 2.3 MW | 7.0 mi north |
| Caledonia Solar WI, LLC | Solar | 6 MW | 7.6 mi southwest |
| CREE | Solar | 1.5 MW | 9.5 mi south |