Power plants in Illinois
Illinois has 601 power plants of 1 MW or more in the 2025 EIA-860 data, with 52.5 GW of nameplate capacity, the fifth-largest total among the 50 states and DC. Natural gas accounts for 36% of that capacity. The biggest single site is Braidwood Generation Station at 2,450 MW. Units that came online from 2020 to 2025 add 10.5 GW, led by solar at 41%. Units retired since 2016 at plants still operating total 2,542 MW, most of it coal.
- Natural gas18,755 MW36%
- Nuclear12,415 MW24%
- Wind8,461 MW16%
- Coal7,415 MW14%
- Solar4,388 MW8.4%
- Oil and petroleum758 MW1.4%
- Other sources121 MW0.2%
- Battery storage100 MW0.2%
- Biomass and waste61.3 MW0.1%
- Hydroelectric38.3 MW0.1%
What is running, by the decade it came online
NuclearCoalNatural gasOil and petroleumHydroelectricWindSolarBattery storageBiomass and wasteOther sources
Columns above the line show capacity still operating in 2025, stacked by fuel. Below the line: capacity retired in each decade at plants that still operate.
The 25 largest plants
| Rank | Plant | Runs on | Capacity | First unit | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braidwood Generation Station | Nuclear | 2,450 MW | 1988 | Constellation Nuclear |
| 2 | Byron Generating Station | Nuclear | 2,450 MW | 1985 | Constellation Nuclear |
| 3 | LaSalle Generating Station | Nuclear | 2,340 MW | 1984 | Constellation Nuclear |
| 4 | Dresden Generating Station | Nuclear | 2,019 MW | 1970 | Constellation Nuclear |
| 5 | Quad Cities Generating Station | Nuclear | 2,019 MW | 1972 | Constellation Nuclear |
| 6 | Powerton | Coal | 1,786 MW | 1972 | Midwest Generations EME LLC |
| 7 | Prairie State Generating Station | Coal | 1,766 MW | 2012 | Prairie State Generating Co LLC |
| 8 | Kincaid Generation LLC | Coal | 1,319 MW | 1967 | Dynegy Kincaid Generation |
| 9 | CPV Three Rivers Energy Center | Natural gas | 1,300 MW | 2023 | CPV Three Rivers, LLC |
| 10 | Jackson Generation, LLC | Natural gas | 1,289 MW | 2022 | Jackson Generation, LLC |
| 11 | Baldwin Energy Complex | Coal | 1,260 MW | 1970 | Dynegy Midwest Generation Inc |
| 12 | Kendall County Generation Facility | Natural gas | 1,256 MW | 2002 | Dynegy Kendall Energy LLC |
| 13 | MPH Elwood | Natural gas | 1,152 MW | 1999 | MPH Elwood, LLC |
| 14 | Clinton Power Station | Nuclear | 1,138 MW | 1987 | Constellation Nuclear |
| 15 | Aurora | Natural gas | 1,086 MW | 2001 | Aurora Generation LLC |
| 16 | University Park North | Natural gas | 726 MW | 2002 | LSP University Park LLC |
| 17 | Holland Energy Facility | Natural gas | 702 MW | 2002 | NAES Corporation (WA) |
| 18 | Lee Energy Facility | Natural gas | 692 MW | 2001 | Lee County Generating Station (IL) |
| 19 | Lincoln Generating Facility | Natural gas | 692 MW | 2000 | Lincoln Generating Facility LLC |
| 20 | Goose Creek Energy Center | Natural gas | 684 MW | 2003 | Union Electric Co (MO) |
| 21 | Nelson Energy Center | Natural gas | 628 MW | 2015 | Invenergy Services LLC |
| 22 | Newton | Coal | 617 MW | 1977 | Illinois Power Generating Co |
| 23 | Cordova Energy | Natural gas | 611 MW | 2001 | Cordova Energy Co LLC |
| 24 | Zion Energy Center | Natural gas | 597 MW | 2002 | Zion Energy LLC |
| 25 | Double Back Diamond | Solar | 593 MW | 2024 | Double Back Diamond Solar Power, LLC |
Largest plant for each main fuel
| Main fuel | Plants | Capacity | Largest plant | Its capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 68 | 18.9 GW | CPV Three Rivers Energy Center | 1,300 MW |
| Nuclear | 6 | 12.4 GW | Braidwood Generation Station | 2,450 MW |
| Wind | 55 | 8,478 MW | Lincoln Land Wind | 302 MW |
| Coal | 8 | 7,318 MW | Powerton | 1,786 MW |
| Solar | 405 | 4,390 MW | Double Back Diamond | 593 MW |
| Oil and petroleum | 35 | 769 MW | Fisk Street | 260 MW |
| Other sources | 2 | 121 MW | Granite City Works | 78 MW |
| Battery storage | 3 | 76 MW | Grand Ridge Battery Projects | 36 MW |
| Biomass and waste | 12 | 61.3 MW | Livingston Generating Facility | 15 MW |
| Hydroelectric | 7 | 34.7 MW | Lockport Powerhouse | 16 MW |
Balancing areas
| Area | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| PJM Interconnection | 329 | 35.1 GW |
| MISO (Midcontinent) | 272 | 17.4 GW |
Biggest operators here
| Operator | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Constellation Nuclear | 6 | 12.4 GW |
| Union Electric Co (MO) | 7 | 2,676 MW |
| Midwest Generations EME LLC | 3 | 2,158 MW |
| Invenergy Services LLC | 9 | 2,152 MW |
| Prairie State Generating Co LLC | 1 | 1,766 MW |
| Dynegy Kincaid Generation | 1 | 1,319 MW |
| CPV Three Rivers, LLC | 1 | 1,300 MW |
| Jackson Generation, LLC | 1 | 1,289 MW |
| Dynegy Midwest Generation Inc | 1 | 1,260 MW |
| Dynegy Kendall Energy LLC | 1 | 1,256 MW |