Cardinal
Coal power plant in Jefferson County, Ohio. 1,880.4 MW of nameplate capacity across 3 generators, operated by Cardinal Operating Company.
Also known as Cardinal Plant · EIA plant 2828
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Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,880.4 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 3 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- February 1967First generator online
- Operator
- Cardinal Operating CompanyEIA operator ID 61412
- Grid
- PJMBalancing authority PJM
- Price nodes
- 3 PJM nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Jefferson County, OH40.2522, −80.6486
- EIA plant ID
- 2828EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Cardinal produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
10.8 TWh
10,816,272 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
65.7%
2024: 57.5%
January to July 2026
5.12 TWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
8.8–10.8
TWh a year. Low 2015, high 2025
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10,924,121 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 9,708,439 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 8,555,500 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 10,556,646 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 10,794,107 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 11,372,176 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 11,490,833 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 3,509,024 | Not reported | 4 of 12 |
| 2008 | 10,386,166 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 10,784,462 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 10,057,631 | 61.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 8,059,448 | 48.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 7,372,305 | 44.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 8,135,431 | 66.0% | 9 of 12 |
| 2014 | 10,700,749 | 65.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 8,835,500 | 53.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 9,180,921 | 55.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 10,498,733 | 63.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 1,011,650 | 72.3% | 1 of 12 |
| 2019 | 9,640,233 | 58.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 9,059,773 | 54.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 10,066,943 | 61.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 10,755,882 | 65.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 9,679,859 | 58.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 9,497,125 | 57.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 10,816,272 | 65.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 5,121,742 | 53.5% | 7 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free account · PJMEmissions
Free · EPA CAMPDCO₂, 2025
11.04M
US short tons. 2024: 10.09M
SO₂, 2025
13,270
US short tons
NOx, 2025
3,776
US short tons
CO₂ per MWh, calculated
1.02 t
About 2,042 lb per MWh
3 of 3 EPA units reported CO₂ in 2025 (1, 2, 3), matched to EIA plant 2828 through the EPA–EIA crosswalk. The per-MWh rate is EPA CO₂ divided by EIA-923 net generation. The two reporting boundaries can differ.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSWithdrawal, 2024
318,257
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
1,665
million gallons
Source
Ohio River
Surface, Fresh. Once-through
Watershed stress
Very low/none · 0.143
USGS SUI, HUC12 Salt Run-Ohio River
36 of 36 cooling months report withdrawal. SUI of the source river HUC12 within 3 km. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | 615.2 | February 1967 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | 615.2 | July 1967 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | 650.0 | September 1977 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists Cardinal Operating Company as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
Generation potential vs reported
Monthly potential at seasonal net capability, next to EIA-923 output. Shows how much of the plant's capability was used.
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Power plants near Cardinal
Questions about Cardinal
How much power does Cardinal produce?
Cardinal reported 10,816,272 MWh (10.8 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 65.7% capacity factor on 1,880.4 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 5.12 TWh, which is provisional.
Where is Cardinal?
Cardinal is in Jefferson County, Ohio, at 40.2522, −80.6486. It is in the PJM Interconnection, LLC balancing area (PJM).
Who operates Cardinal?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Cardinal Operating Company as the operator (EIA operator ID 61412). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Cardinal start operating?
Its first generator began operating in February 1967, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Cardinal?
Yes. InfraMap has PJM day-ahead and real-time prices at 3 price nodes linked to Cardinal, with the hub price and node-to-hub basis. Prices are free with an InfraMap account; pricing node names are part of InfraMap Pro.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- EPA CAMPD annual emissions through the EPA–EIA crosswalk, 1995 to 2025
- PJM day-ahead and real-time prices; node and hub assignments as of 2026-10-05
- EIA-923 cooling water 2024 and the USGS surface water supply and use index, Water years 2010-2020 (Oct 2009 to Sep 2020), mean of monthly values
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page