Empire Energy Center
Natural gas power plant · Jasper County, Missouri
Nameplate capacity
379 MW
Rank in Missouri
#16
of 139 plants
In service since
1978
March 1978
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Operator
- Empire District Electric Co
- County
- Jasper County
- Generating units
- 4
- Share of state capacity
- 1.62%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Missouri
- #5 of 35
- EIA plant code
- 6223
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 129 MW | 78 MW | 1978 | Operating |
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 129 MW | 77 MW | 1981 | Operating |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 61 MW | 48 MW | 2003 | Operating |
| 4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 61 MW | 41 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 Missouri
| Taum Sauk | Hydro | 408 MW |
| High Prairie Wind Farm | Wind | 400 MW |
| South Harper | Natural gas | 351 MW |
| Holden | Natural gas | 321 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 379 MW solar plant and a 379 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 Missouri power plants · What Missouri actually generates