Zion Energy Center
Natural gas power plant · Lake County, Illinois
Nameplate capacity
597 MW
Rank in Illinois
#24
of 580 plants
In service since
2002
June 2002
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Operator
- Zion Energy LLC
- County
- Lake County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 1.13%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Illinois
- #13 of 72
- EIA plant code
- 55392
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 199 MW | 161 MW | 2002 | Operating |
| CTG2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 199 MW | 162 MW | 2002 | Operating |
| CTG3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 199 MW | 155 MW | 2003 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Illinois
| Newton | Coal | 617 MW |
| Cordova Energy | Natural gas | 611 MW |
| Double Back Diamond | Solar | 593 MW |
| Venice | Natural gas | 586 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 597 MW solar plant and a 597 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Illinois power plants · What Illinois actually generates