List of power stations in Arkansas facts for kids
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.
Contents
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
