Nelson Energy Center
Lee County, Illinois · EIA plant ID 55183 · Operator: Invenergy Services LLC
Nameplate628MWSummer 586 MW
Generators4in service
Net generation3,027GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor59%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate7,857Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online2015Runs as baseload
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 326.6 | 9.7% | 7,514 |
| 2016 | 1,053.9 | 20.5% | 7,365 |
| 2017 | 2,183.9 | 42.5% | 7,402 |
| 2018 | 3,515.3 | 68.5% | 7,041 |
| 2019 | 4,017.1 | 78.3% | 7,047 |
| 2020 | 3,825.6 | 74.3% | 7,431 |
| 2021 | 2,235.3 | 43.5% | 7,542 |
| 2022 | 2,691.4 | 52.4% | 7,454 |
| 2023 | 2,882.3 | 56.1% | 7,735 |
| 2024 | 3,204.2 | 62.3% | 7,799 |
| 2025 | 3,027.4 | 59.0% | 7,857 |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 181.9 | 168 | May 2015 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| CT2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 179.4 | 168 | May 2015 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| ST1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CA | 133.1 | 125 | May 2015 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| ST2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CA | 133.1 | 125 | May 2015 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Invenergy Services LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Invenergy Services LLC | 100.0% | 628 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Invenergy Nelson Expansion LLC | 380 MW | 0.1 km |
| SCS Beltway 011754 Rock Falls, LLC | 1 MW | 5.3 km |
| Industrial Park | 13 MW | 5.6 km |
| Upper Sterling | 2 MW | 6 km |
| Avenue A Generator Sets | 4 MW | 6.9 km |
| Galt | 5 MW | 12.8 km |