Empire District Hydroelectric Power Plant
See the westbound or the eastbound Route 66 descriptions.
| Built in | 1906 |
| Status | Operational |
| GPS | 37.072094,-94.69849 |
| Location | Riverton |
| County | Cherokee |
| State | Kansas |
The Empire District Hydroelectric Power Plant provided power to the mining operations in the area.
One of the generators used is called "Old Kate". It was used before for the 1904 World Fair in Saint Louis. Today the plant produces 136 Megawatt with a handful of turbines. It's one of the oldest power stations in operation in the US.
An ongoing upgrade of the plant to add a 155 Megawatt natural gas powered turbine is expected to be completed in 2007. (Source: annual report of 2005)