Cardinal — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 2828
- Capacity
- 1880.4 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Coal
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Jefferson, OH
- Operating Since
- 1967
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Cardinal Operating Company
- Parent Company
- Buckeye Power
- Annual Generation
- 10,816,272 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 65.6%
- Balancing Authority
- PJM Interconnection, LLC
- ISO/RTO
- PJM
- NERC Region
- RFC
Cardinal
OperatingBit. Coal
Ranked #2 of 7 Bit. Coal plants in OH#15 of 66 nationally
1880.4 MW Bit. Coal operating in Jefferson, OH — PJM Interconnection, LLC
EIAWD
1,880.4 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Conventional Steam Coal
Technology
1967
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
40.2522, -80.6486
County
Jefferson, OH
Nearby Plants
- Nottingham SolarSolar100 MW · 11.2 km
- Steubenville SolarSolar43 MW · 11.2 km
- Wylie Ridge SolarSolar8.4 MW · 23.2 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Cardinal Operating Company | Buckeye Power | — |
| Owner(s) | Buckeye Power, Inc | Buckeye Power | American Electric Power |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
About
Cardinal Power Plant is a 1.8-gigawatt coal power plant located south of Brilliant, Ohio, in Jefferson County, Ohio. The power plant has three units. Cardinal is co-owned with Unit 1 owned by American Electric Power's (AEP) subsidiary, AEP Generation Resources. Units 2–3 are owned by Buckeye Power, a utility cooperative. It began operations in 1967.
Read more on WikipediaThe Cardinal power plant is a coal-fired power station located in Jefferson County, Ohio. It has a total capacity of 1880.4 MW across three generators utilizing conventional steam coal technology. The plant began operating in 1967 and is owned by Buckeye Power. The Cardinal Operating Company is listed as the operator per EIA data.
Cardinal's latest annual generation was 10,816,272 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 65.6%. The plant operates within the PJM Interconnection, LLC balancing authority and the RFC NERC region. Cardinal ranks as the second-largest power plant in Ohio (of 3 total) and eleventh-largest (of 50) coal plant nationally.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
RFC
Balancing Authority
PJM Interconnection, LLC
Grid Voltage
345 kV
Regulatory Status
NR
Entity Type
Cooperative
Sector
IPP Non-CHP
Generation
1.1M MWh
Latest Month
10.8M MWh
Annual Generation
65.6%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidenceMarket Position
ISO/RTO Market
PJM
LMP Node
40243869
Pricing Hub
AEP-DAYTON HUB
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
Regulatory·federal policy
Using Taxpayer Money, Trump Bails Out Coal Power Plants in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, & North Carolina
Aside from denying that long established climate science is real, and the threats to humanity from global heating are great, the Trump...
Trump (other)
CleanTechnica·4 weeks ago
Regulatory·federal policy
Ohio coal plants to see a share of $175 million from Trump admin
Among the recipients of 'modernization' money are two aging, debt-laden coal plants in Ohio. Environmentalists say it's a handout.
Trump admin (other)
Signal Ohio·4 weeks ago
Regulatory·federal policy
Ohio coal plants, including one formerly propped up by HB6, to get new federal lifeline under Trump
Two Ohio coal power plants have been picked by President Donald Trump to get a share of $175 million worth of federal funding to pay for...
Ohio (other)Donald Trump (executive)
Cleveland.com·4 weeks ago
General
Cardinal Plant named among six U.S. projects receiving part of $175M DOE upgrade funds
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Buckeye Power's Cardinal Plant as one of six projects nationwide to share $175 million in federal...
WTRF·4 weeks ago
Last updated 2026-03-26
View all 10 articles