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List of power stations in Arkansas facts for kids

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Sources of Arkansas utility-scale electricity generation:
full-year 2023      Natural Gas (39.6%)     Coal (27.4%)     Nuclear (24.4%)     Hydroelectric (6%)     Solar (1.3%)     Biomass (1.2%)     Petroleum (0.1%)

Have you ever wondered where the electricity comes from that powers your lights, phone, and games? In Arkansas, electricity is made at special places called power stations. These stations use different types of fuel to create the energy we use every day.

In 2021, Arkansas could make 14,832 megawatts of power. That's a huge amount! In 2023, most of Arkansas's electricity came from natural gas (about 40%) and coal (about 27%). Nuclear energy made up about 24% of the power. Other sources like hydroelectric (water power), solar (sun power), and biomass (energy from plants and waste) also help power the state.

Biogas Power Plants

Biogas power plants use gas from things like landfills to make electricity. This is a way to use waste to create energy.

Name Location Fuel Type Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Operator Started
Eco Vista Tontitown Landfill gas 4 5 33,504 Waste Management 2010
Two Pine Pulaski County Landfill gas 5 6 31,926 Waste Management 2008

Coal Power Plants

Coal power plants burn coal to heat water and make steam. This steam then spins turbines to create electricity. Coal has been a big source of power for a long time.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Operator Started
Flint Creek Gentry 528 1 2.4 million American Electric Power 1978
Independence Newark 1700 2 5.7 million Entergy 1983, 1984
John W. Turk Jr. Fulton 600 1 4 million American Electric Power 2012
Plum Point Mississippi County 665 1 3.9 million NAES Corporation 2010
White Bluff Redfield 1659 2 0 Entergy 1980, 1981

Hydroelectric Power Plants

Hydroelectric power plants use the force of moving water, usually from dams, to spin turbines and make electricity. This is a clean way to generate power.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Water Source Operator Started
Beaver Lake Dam Carroll County 112 2 261,746 White River Southwestern Power Administration 1965
Blakely Mountain Garland/Montgomery 75 2 231,668 Ouachita River Southwestern Power Administration 1956
Bull Shoals Baxter/Marion 340 4 1.4 million White River Southwestern Power Administration 1953
Carl S. Whillock Conway County 32 3 122,040 Arkansas River Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 1993
Carpenter Garland County 56 2 76,107 Ouachita River Entergy 1930
Clyde T. Ellis Barling 32 3 99,455 Arkansas River Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 1988
Dardanelle Pope/Yell 140 4 594,423 Arkansas River Southwestern Power Administration 1965
Electric Cooperatives
of Arkansas
Dumas 103 3 311,700 Arkansas River Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 1999
Greers Ferry Cleburne County 96 2 296,621 Little Red River Southwestern Power Administration 1964
Murray Pulaski County 45 2 89,605 Arkansas River North Little Rock Electric Department 1988
Narrows Pike County 26 3 71,173 Little Missouri River Southwestern Power Administration 1950
Norfork Baxter County 81 2 287,794 North Fork River Southwestern Power Administration 1944
Ozark-Jeta Taylor Ozark 100 5 89,547 Arkansas River Southwestern Power Administration 1973
Remmel Hot Spring County 12 3 52,620 Ouachita River Entergy 1924
White River Lock & Dam 1 Batesville 4 1 15,727 White River Independence County 2007
White River Lock & Dam 2 Independence County 4 1 15,077 White River Independence County 2007
Shelby M. Knight/
White River Lock & Dam 3
Stone County 4 1 18,945 White River Independence County 2006

Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plants

Pumped storage plants are a special type of hydroelectric plant. They can store energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir when electricity is cheap. Then, when electricity is needed, the water flows downhill to generate power.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Water Source Operator Started
DeGray Clark County 68 2 122,691 Caddo River Southwestern Power Administration 1972

Natural Gas Power Plants

Natural gas power plants burn natural gas to create heat, which makes steam or directly spins turbines. They are a major source of electricity in Arkansas.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Operator Started
Elkins Elkins 60 2 13,825 Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 2010
Fulton Fulton 153 1 118,888 Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 2001
Harry D. Mattison Tontitown 340 4 155,985 American Electric Power 2007
Harry L. Oswald Wrightsville 548 9 368,940 Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 2003
Hot Spring Malvern 620 3 2.9 million Entergy 2012
Lake Catherine Malvern 721 4 127,495 Entergy 1950, 1953, 1970
Magnet Cove Magnet Cove 660 3 1.7 million Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 2006
Union El Dorado 2,200 12 11.3 million Entergy 2003

Natural Gas and Petroleum Power Plants

Some power plants can use both natural gas and petroleum (oil) as fuel. This gives them flexibility in how they generate electricity.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Operator Started
Carl E. Bailey Augusta 122 1 15,894 Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 1966
Dell Dell 679 3 3.2 million Associated Electric Cooperative 2007
John L. McClellan Camden 134 1 34,073 Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 1971
Jonesboro Jonesboro 224 4 27,266 Jonesboro City Water & Light 2003, 2007
Paragould Paragould 14 4 84 Paragould Light Water & Cable 1990
Paragould Reciprocating Paragould 14 3 473 Paragould Light Water & Cable 2001
Pine Bluff Energy Center Pine Bluff 236 2 1.2 million Calpine Energy Services 2001
Thomas B. Fitzhugh Ozark 171 2 254,918 Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation 1963, 2003

Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear power plants use the heat from splitting atoms (nuclear fission) to create steam, which then generates electricity. They can produce a lot of power without creating air pollution.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Reactor Type Operator Started
Arkansas Nuclear One Russellville 1824 2 14 million Pressurized water Entergy 1974

Petroleum Power Plants

Petroleum power plants burn oil to generate electricity. They are not as common for large-scale power generation as other types.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Number of Units Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Operator Started
Piggott Municipal Piggott 7 4 9 City of Piggott 1952

Solar Power Plants

Solar photovoltaic power plants use solar panels to turn sunlight directly into electricity. These are becoming more popular as a clean energy source.

Name Location Power Output (MW) Power Made in 2019 (MWh) Area (Acres) Operator Started
SR Camden East Camden 12 26,019 100 Silicon Ranch Corporation 2016
Van Buren 0.5 1.5 Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative 2016
Ozarks Natural Energy Community Solar Springdale 1 1,533 5 Ozarks Electric Cooperative 2016
FECC Solar Benton Benton 1 1,457 5 First Electric Cooperative 2017
Scenic Hill Solar III Clarksville 5 10,161 42 Scenic Hill Solar 2017
Holly Springs 1 5 Ouachita Electric Cooperative 2017
Stuttgart Solar Energy Center Arkansas County 81 162,317 475 NextEra Energy Resources 2017
Hamburg 1 8 Today's Power 2018
Brookland 1 8 Today's Power 2018
Forrest City 1 8 Woodruff Electric Cooperative 2019
Newport 1 8 Farmers Electric Cooperative 2019
Salem 1 8 North Arkansas Electric Cooperative 2019
Fayetteville 10 Today’s Power 2019
Jefferson County 0.176 2019
Star City 1 8 C & L Electric Cooperative 2020
Chicot Solar Project Chicot County 100 825 NextEra Energy Resources 2020
C. Wayne Whitaker Solar Texarkana 1 7 Today's Power 2020

Energy Storage

Energy Storage facilities don't create electricity, but they store it for later use. This is important for balancing the power grid, especially with renewable sources like solar that only produce power when the sun is shining.

Name Location Type Storage Capacity (MWh) Operator Started
Fayetteville Lithium-ion battery 24 Today’s Power 2019

See also

  • List of public utilities in Arkansas
  • Energy in Arkansas
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