F. B. Culley power station
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F. B. Culley power station is an operating power station of at least 368-megawatts (MW) in Newburgh, Warrick, Indiana, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as F. B. Culley Generating Station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| F. B. Culley power station | Newburgh, Warrick, Indiana, United States | 37.908961, -87.324717 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 37.908961, -87.324717
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: bituminous[2] | 46 | subcritical | 1955 | 2006 | no |
| Unit 2 | Operating[3] | coal: bituminous[2] | 103.7 | subcritical | 1966 | 2026 (planned)[3] | no |
| Unit 3, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: bituminous[2] | 265.2 | subcritical | 1973 | 2035 (planned)[4] | no |
| Unit 3, timepoint 2 | Shelved[5][6][7][8][9] | fossil gas: natural gas[6][5] | 265.2[10] | steam turbine[10] | –[6][5] | – | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Co [100%][1] | CenterPoint Energy Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Co [100%][1] | CenterPoint Energy Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 3, timepoint 1 | Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Co [100%][1] | CenterPoint Energy Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 3, timepoint 2 | Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Co [100%][1] | CenterPoint Energy Inc [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 3: Planned conversion from coal to fossil gas was shelved.
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): domestic
Impacts
Potential emissions and details on the project's status and permit applications can be viewed on Oil and Gas Watch page here.
The Oil and Gas Watch database, created by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), is a free, public-facing tool designed to track the rapid expansion of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure in the United States. Oil and Gas Watch maps new and expanding oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure projects across the country and monitors each project’s construction status so the public can stay informed about major oil and gas developments being proposed in their communities. We track key environmental approvals companies must obtain before starting construction or operations and provide access to thousands of government records and permits unearthed by our analysts.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Unit Retirements
Unit 1 was retired in 2006.[11]
In November 2016, owner Vectren said it would retire unit 2 of the coal plant by 2024.[12][13]
In April 2023, it was announced that Unit 3 would be converted to natural gas by 2027.[14]
CenterPoint Energy's 2022/2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) indicated that Unit 2 was slated to retire in 2025.[15]
In June 2025, CenterPoint Energy reaffirmed their plan to retire Unit 2 no later than December 31, 2025. The planned coal-to-gas conversion for Unit 3 was reportedly “paused” while the company continued Integrated Resource Planning, with an updated generation plan expected “later in 2025.”[16]
In October 2025, CenterPoint Energy announced their intention to delay the closure of coal Unit 3 past 2027.[17] In an IRP stakeholder meeting presentation, the company stated that the previous plan to convert Unit 3 to gas and add renewables and battery storage was “no longer affordable relative to alternatives” due to factors including “renewable cost increases, and repeal of tax incentives.” Plans for Unit 3 would reportedly “be evaluated in a subsequent IRP.”[18]
In December 2025, CenterPoint’s IRP indicated that the company’s preferred portfolio included retiring Culley Unit 3 by 2035.[19]
Department of Energy orders F.B. Culley coal unit to stay online
In late December 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ordered CenterPoint Energy to keep coal Unit 2 operating past its previously planned retirement date at the end of 2025. The 90-day emergency order was in effect until March 23, 2026.[20] The order for F.B. Culley 2 reportedly marked the fourth time the DOE had used emergency powers in 2025 to prevent coal plants from retiring.[21]
In January 2026, an analysis by Synapse Energy Economics found that the continued operation of Culley coal Unit 2 would lead to an estimated net cost of US$1.9 million over the 90-day emergency order period.[22]
In late March 2026, the DOE issued another emergency order to keep Culley Unit 2 online. The order remained in effect until June 21, 2026.[23]
In June 2026, the DOE issued its third emergency order to keep Culley 2 online through September 19, 2026.[24]
Emissions Data
- 2024 Gross Load (MWh): 1,979,132[25]
- 2024 SO2 Mass (short tons): 1,615[25]
- 2024 CO2 Mass (short tons): 2,407,767[25]
- 2024 NOx Mass (short tons): 1,572[25]
- 2023 Mercury emissions (Hg, lb): 3.24[26][27]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from F. B. Culley power station
In 2010, Abt Associates issued a study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, quantifying the deaths and other health effects attributable to fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants.[28] Fine particle pollution consists of a complex mixture of soot, heavy metals, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Among these particles, the most dangerous are those less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are so tiny that they can evade the lung's natural defenses, enter the bloodstream, and be transported to vital organs. Impacts are especially severe among the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. The study found that over 13,000 deaths and tens of thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease, and pneumonia each year are attributable to fine particle pollution from U.S. coal plant emissions. These deaths and illnesses are major examples of coal's external costs, i.e. uncompensated harms inflicted upon the public at large. Low-income and minority populations are disproportionately impacted as well, due to the tendency of companies to avoid locating power plants upwind of affluent communities. To monetize the health impact of fine particle pollution from each coal plant, Abt assigned a value of $7,300,000 to each 2010 mortality, based on a range of government and private studies. Valuations of illnesses ranged from $52 for an asthma episode to $440,000 for a case of chronic bronchitis.[29]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from F. B. Culley power station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 10 | $72,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 15 | $1,600,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 160 | $8,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 7 | $160,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 6 | $2,600,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 10 | $4,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed March 2011
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20230509053328/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "2025: EIA-923 December 2025". U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2025. Archived from the original on 2026-03-25. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "DOE orders Indiana coal units totaling more than 950 MW to run past retirement dates". Utility Dive. 2025-12-24. Archived from the original on 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
{{cite web}}: Text "Utility Dive" ignored (help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/Documents/Midwest/PUBLIC-CEIS-2025-IRP-Volume-1-of-2.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Generation Transition". CenterPoint Energy Sustainability. Archived from the original on 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/centerpoint-energy-continues-shift-from-coal-fired-generation-renewables-complemented-with-natural-gas-fired-generation-forge-ahead-as-generation-portfolio-301808719.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/business/services/integrated-resource-plan?sa=in.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.in.gov/iurc/files/ord_46218_110525.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (2025-02-03). "State of Indiana Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Cause No. 45990" (PDF). in.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/september_generator2024.xlsx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Form EIA-860 Data - Schedule 3, 'Generator Data' US EIA, 2014
- ↑ John Russell, "Vectren plans to retire most coal-burning units, shift mix of power sources," Indiana Business Journal, November 30, 2016
- ↑ "EIA 860m March 2020" eia.gov, 860m March 2020
- ↑ "CenterPoint Energy continues shift from coal-fired generation; renewables complemented with natural gas-fired generation forge ahead as generation portfolio," Cision US, April 26, 2023
- ↑ "2022/2023 Integrated Resource Plan - Executive Summary," CenterPoint Energy, May 2023
- ↑ “Annual Progress Report F.B. Culley Generating Station, NPDES Permit No IN0002259,” CenterPoint Energy, June 27, 2025
- ↑ “CenterPoint Energy Announces Costly Intention to Backtrack on Coal Retirements, Keeping Expensive Culley Plant Online Past 2027,” Sierra Club, October 24, 2025
- ↑ “CenterPoint Energy Indiana South - Integrated Resource Plan, Public Stakeholder Meeting 4,” CenterPoint Energy, October 23, 2025
- ↑ “2025 Integrated Resource Plan - Volume 1,” CenterPoint Energy, December 2025
- ↑ “DOE orders Indiana coal units totaling more than 950 MW to run past retirement dates,” Utility Dive, December 24, 2025
- ↑ “DOE orders 2 Indiana coal plants to continue operating,” E&E News, December 24, 2025
- ↑ “Cost of Continued Operation of Culley Unit 2 and Schahfer Units 17–18 Under Federal Power Act Orders,” Synapse Energy Economics, January 21, 2026
- ↑ “Controversial federal orders keep 2 Indiana coal plants online again,” IndyStar, March 24, 2026
- ↑ “Feds order 2 Indiana coal plants to keep running again — until Sept.,” IndyStar, June 23, 2026
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 EIA (2024). "Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMD)". Retrieved 2025-02-20.
- ↑ Clean Air and Power Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (February 2024). "Annual data 2022 vs. 2023". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ Toxics Release Inventory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (October 2024). "2023 Basic Plus Data". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ "The Toll from Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America's Dirtiest Energy Source," Clean Air Task Force, September 2010.
- ↑ "Technical Support Document for the Powerplant Impact Estimator Software Tool," Prepared for the Clean Air Task Force by Abt Associates, July 2010
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
