Newton
Newton Power Station is a 617.4 MW conventional steam coal-fired power plant in Jasper County, Illinois, built around a single large generating unit that began commercial operation in November 1977. The plant is owned and operated by Vistra Corp, which took control of the former Dynegy/Ameren coal fleet through Vistra's 2018 merger with Dynegy. Vistra has scheduled Newton for retirement by the end of 2027 as part of a broader plan, first announced in 2020, to shut down its entire Illinois and Ohio coal fleet. Local officials say the closure will affect roughly 80 remaining employees in rural Jasper County, a workforce already down from 97 in recent years. In parallel with the wind-down, Vistra is building a 52-MW solar array paired with a 2-MW/8-MWh battery storage system at the Newton site under the state's Coal to Solar and Energy Storage Initiative, with construction slated to begin in 2025. The plant participates in the MISO market, where it settles at a node located at the plant itself.