List of power stations in Minnesota

This is a list of electricity-generating power stations in Minnesota, sorted by type and name. In 2022, Minnesota had a total summer capacity of 18,460 MW through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 58,966 GWh.[2] In 2023, the electrical energy generation mix was 25.4% wind, 24.4% natural gas, 22.1% coal, 20.7% nuclear, 3.5% solar, 2% biomass (including most refuse-derived fuels), 1.2% hydroelectric, 0.1% petroleum, and 0.5% other.[1]

Sources of Minnesota utility-scale electricity generation:
full-year 2023[1]

  Wind (25.4%)
  Natural Gas (24.4%)
  Coal (22.1%)
  Nuclear (20.7%)
  Solar (3.5%)
  Biomass (2%)
  Hydroelectric (1.2%)
  Petroleum (0.1%)
  Other (0.5%)
Minnesota electricity production by type

Small-scale solar, which includes customer-owned photovoltaic panels, delivered an additional net 324 GWh to Minnesota's electrical grid in 2023. This was less than one-sixth the amount generated by the state's utility-scale photovoltaic plants.[1] Independent power producers accounted for more than one-fifth of all generation, especially by harnessing wind in the state's southwestern region. Minnesotans have recently consumed more electricity each year than has been produced in-state.[3]

Nuclear power stations

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Name Location Capacity
(MW)
Number Of
Generating Units
Reactor Type Owner Year
Opened
Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Monticello, Minnesota 671 1 Boiling Water Reactor Xcel Energy 1971
Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant Red Wing, Minnesota 1,092 2 Pressurized Water Reactor Xcel Energy 1974

Fossil-fuel power stations

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Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[4]

Coal

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Plant Location Capacity
(MW)
Number Of
Generating Units
Owner Ref Year
Opened
Allen S. King
Generating Station
Oak Park Heights, Minnesota 511 1 Xcel Energy 1967 -- Closing 2028
Clay Boswell
Energy Center
Cohasset, Minnesota 1,072.5 4
(2 retired, 2 operational)
Minnesota Power [5] U1: 1958 – CLOSED 2018
U2: 1960 – CLOSED 2018
U3: 1973 -- Closing 2030[6]
U4: 1980 -- Closing 2035[6][A]
Hibbing Power Plant Hibbing, Minnesota 30.5 3 City of Hibbing PUC [7] U1: 1965
U2: 1985
U3: 1996
Hoot Lake Plant Fergus Falls, Minnesota 138 3
Otter Tail [8][9][10] U1: 1948 – CLOSED 2005
U2: 1959 -- closed 2021
U3: 1964 -- closed 2021
Sherburne County
Generating Station
Becker, Minnesota 2,238 3 Xcel Energy [11] U1: 1976 -- closing 2026
U2: 1977 -- closing 2023
U3: 1987 -- closing 2030
Taconite Harbor
Energy Center
Schroeder, Minnesota 155 3
(1 retired, 2 idled)
Minnesota Power [12][13] U1: 1957 -- closing 2022
U2: 1957 -- closing 2022
U3: 1967 – CLOSED 2015
M L Hibbard Duluth, Minnesota 48 2 Minnesota Power [14] 1949/1951[B]

A Minnesota Power intends to transition the 468-megawatt Boswell Unit 4 off coal, which could mean a switch to natural gas, biomass or other sources.

B Minnesota Power lists the M L Hibbard plant as operating with a mix of bio-mass and coal

Natural gas & Petroleum

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Plant Location Capacity
(MW)
Number Of
Generating Units
Generation Type Fuel Type Owner Year
Opened
Black Dog Plant Burnsville, Minnesota 526 3 1x1 Combined Cycle, Simple Cycle (x1) Gas Xcel Energy 2012
Blue Lake Plant Shakopee, Minnesota 332 6 Simple Cycle (x6) Gas (x2), Oil (x4) Xcel Energy 1974/2005
Cannon Falls Energy Center Cannon Falls, Minnesota 357 2 Simple Cycle (x2) Gas Invenergy 2008
Faribault Energy Park Faribault, Minnesota 261 2 1x1 Combined Cycle Gas MMPA 2005/2007
High Bridge Plant St. Paul, Minnesota 606 3 2x1 Combined Cycle Gas Xcel Energy 2008
Hutchinson Plant Hutchinson, Minnesota 86 4 2x1 Combined Cycle, Simple Cycle (x1) Gas HUC 1971/1994/2001
Inver Hills Plant Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota 371 6 Simple Cycle (x6) Gas & Oil (x6) Xcel Energy 1972/1997
Lakefield Junction Trimont, Minnesota 495 6 Simple Cycle (x6) Gas Great River Energy 2001
LS Power Cottage Grove, Minnesota 251 2 1x1 Combined Cycle Gas TYR Energy 1997
Mankato Energy Center Mankato, Minnesota 654 3 2x1 Combined Cycle Gas Xcel Energy 2006/2019
Minnesota River Station Chaska, Minnesota 49 1 Simple Cycle Gas MMPA 2001
Pleasant Valley Dexter, Minnesota 421 3 Simple Cycle (x3) Gas Great River Energy 2001
Riverside Plant Minneapolis, Minnesota 502 3 2x1 Combined Cycle Gas Xcel Energy 1987/2009
Shakopee Energy Park Shakopee, Minnesota 46 5 Reciprocating Engine (x5) Gas MMPA 2017
Westside Energy Station Rochester, Minnesota 46 5 Reciprocating Engine (x5) Gas RPU 2018

Renewable power stations

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Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[4]

Wind

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Name Location Capacity
(MW)
Number Of
Generating Units
Owner Ref Year
Opened
Blazing Star Wind Farm Lincoln County, Minnesota 200 100 Xcel Energy 2019
Fenton Wind Farm Chandler, Minnesota 205.5 137 EDF Renewables 2007
Freeborn Wind Farm Freeborn County, Minnesota 200 100 Xcel Energy 2019
Grand Meadow Wind Farm Dexter, Minnesota 100.5 67 Xcel Energy 2008
Lake Benton Wind Farm (I-II) Lincoln County, Minnesota
Pipestone County, Minnesota
207.4 276 NextEra Energy
Xcel Energy
1998/1999
Nobles Wind Farm Reading, Minnesota 200 134 Xcel Energy 2010
Odell Wind Farm Cottonwood County, Minnesota 200 100 Algonquin Power 2016
Pleasant Valley Wind Farm Dexter, Minnesota 200 100 Xcel Energy 2015
Prairie Rose Wind Farm Rock County, Minnesota 200 119 Enel Green Power 2012
Red Pine Wind Project Lincoln County, Minnesota 200 100 EDF Renewables 2017
Stoneray Power Pipestone County, Minnesota 100 39 EDF Renewables 2019
Uilk Wind Farm Power Pipestone County, Minnesota 4.5 3 Uilk Holdings 2019
Trimont Area Wind Farm Martin County, Minnesota 100 67 Avangrid 2005

Solar

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Name Location Capacity
(MWAC)
Owner Ref Year
Opened
Aurora Solar Project Albany, Minnesota 150 Enel Greenpower [15] 2017
Marshall Solar Project Marshall, Minnesota 62.3 NextEra Energy [16] 2017
North Star Solar Project North Branch, Minnesota 100 NextEra Energy [17] 2016

Hydroelectric

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Name Location Capacity
(MW)
Number Of
Generating Units
Owner Ref Year
Opened
International Falls Hydro International Falls, Minnesota 14.2 7 Boise Cascade [18] 1924/1946
Thomson Hydro Thomson, Minnesota 72 6 Minnesota Power [19] 1907/1914/
1919/1949
Ford Dam Saint Paul, Minnesota 18 4 Brookfield Renewable Partners [20] 1924
Lake Zumbro Hydroelectric Generating Plant Wabasha County, Minnesota 2.3 2 Rochester Public Utilities [21][22] 1919
Blanchard Dam Morrison County, Minnesota 18 Minnesota Power [22] 1925
Little Falls Dam. Little Falls MN Little Falls Dam 4

Biomass

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Name Location Capacity
(MW)
Number Of
Generating Units
Fuel
Type
Owner Ref Year
Opened
Boise Cascade International Falls, Minnesota 40 1 wood/
wood waste
Boise Cascade [23] 2015
Cloquet Mill Cloquet, Minnesota 89 3 wood/
wood waste
Sappi [24] 1976/1997/2001
M L Hibbard Duluth, Minnesota 48 2 wood/
wood waste/
coal
Minnesota Power [25][26] 1949/1951
St. Paul CoGen St. Paul, Minnesota 33 1 wood/
wood waste
District Energy [27] 2003
Name Location Capacity
(MW)
Number Of
Generating Units
Owner Ref Year
Opened
Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) Minneapolis, Minnesota 33 2 Covanta Hennepin Energy [28] 1989
Hometown BioEnergy Le Sueur County, Minnesota 8 1 MMPA [29] 2014
Red Wing Plant Red Wing, Minnesota 18 2 Xcel Energy [30] 1949
Koda Biomass Plant Shakopee, Minnesota 20 1 Koda Energy [31] 2009
Olmsted Waste Energy Rochester, Minnesota 8 3 District Energy [32] 1987/2010
Wilmarth Plant Mankato, Minnesota 18 2 Xcel Energy [33] 1948/1951

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Electricity Data Browser, Net generation for all sectors, Minnesota, Fuel Type-Check all, Annual, 2001–23". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  2. ^ "Minnesota Electricity Profile". U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  3. ^ "Minnesota Electricity Profile Analysis". U.S. EIA. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  4. ^ a b Energy Information Administration (15 September 2020). "Form EIA-860 detailed data with previous form data (EIA-860A/860B)". eia.gov. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Boswell Energy Center". Global Energy Monitor. 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  6. ^ a b "Minnesota Power shutting, converting final two coal plants by 2035". Star Tribune. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  7. ^ "Hibbing Power Plant". Global Energy Monitor. 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  8. ^ "Hoot Lake Plant" (PDF). Otter Tail Power Co. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  9. ^ "Hoot Lake Plant". Global Energy Monitor. 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  10. ^ "Hoot Lake Plant". Otter Tail Power Co. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  11. ^ "Sherco 3 brochure p. 2" (PDF). Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-07.
  12. ^ "Community gets Taconite Harbor update from MN Power". WTIP North Shore Community Radio. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  13. ^ "Taconite Harbor Energy Center". Global Energy Monitor. 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  14. ^ "Generation – Mix of Fuels". Minnesota Power. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  15. ^ "Aurora Solar Project". Enel Greenpower. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  16. ^ Deb Gau (2017-01-27). "Marshall solar project up and running for Xcel Energy". Marshall Independent.
  17. ^ "North Star". Swinerton Renewable Energy. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  18. ^ "International Falls Hydro Power Plant". Global Energy Observatory. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  19. ^ "Hometown Hydropower". Minnesota Power. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  20. ^ "Twin Cities Assembly Plant Hydroelectric Dam". City of Saint Paul. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  21. ^ Hess, Jeffrey A. (October 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Lake Zumbro Hydroelectric Generating Plant". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  22. ^ a b "Listing of Minnesota Hydropower Facility Sites" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 2017. Retrieved 30 Dec 2022.
  23. ^ "Boise Cascade International Falls Mill Waste Plant". Global Energy Observatory. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  24. ^ "Sappi Cloquet Mill Waste Plant". Global Energy Observatory. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  25. ^ "M L Hibbard Waste Plant". Global Energy Observatory. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  26. ^ "Generation – Mix of Fuels". Minnesota Power. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  27. ^ "St. Paul Cogeneration". Ever-green Energy. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  28. ^ "Hennepin Energy Recovery Center". Hennepin County. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  29. ^ "Hometown BioEnergy". Minnesota Municipal Power Association. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  30. ^ "Red Wing Generating Station". Biomass Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  31. ^ "Koda Energy". www.kodaenergy.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  32. ^ "Waste-to-Energy Facility". Olmsted County, MN. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  33. ^ "Wilmarth Generating Station". Biomass Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
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