List of power stations in Minnesota explained

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.^[1] 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.

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. 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.^[2]

Nuclear power stations

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

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

Coal

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	^[3]	U1: 1958 – CLOSED 2018 U2: 1960 – CLOSED 2018 U3: 1973 -- Closing 2030^[4] U4: 1980 -- Closing 2035
Hibbing Power Plant	Hibbing, Minnesota	30.5	3	City of Hibbing PUC	^[5]	U1: 1965 U2: 1985 U3: 1996
Hoot Lake Plant	Fergus Falls, Minnesota	138	3	Otter Tail	^[6] ^[7] ^[8]	U1: 1948 – CLOSED 2005 U2: 1959 -- closed 2021 U3: 1964 -- closed 2021
Sherburne County Generating Station	Becker, Minnesota	2,238	3	Xcel Energy	^[9]	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	^[10] ^[11]	U1: 1957 -- closing 2022 U2: 1957 -- closing 2022 U3: 1967 – CLOSED 2015
M L Hibbard	Duluth, Minnesota	48	2	Minnesota Power	^[12]	1949/1951

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.

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

Natural gas & Petroleum

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

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

Wind

See also: Wind power in Minnesota.

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

See also: Solar power in Minnesota.

Name	Location	Capacity (MWAC)	Owner	Ref	Year Opened
Aurora Solar Project	Albany, Minnesota	150	Enel Greenpower	^[13]	2017
Marshall Solar Project	Marshall, Minnesota	62.3	NextEra Energy	^[14]	2017
North Star Solar Project	North Branch, Minnesota	100	NextEra Energy	^[15]	2016

Hydroelectric

See also: List of dams and reservoirs in Minnesota.

Name	Location	Capacity (MW)	Number Of Generating Units	Owner	Ref	Year Opened
International Falls Hydro	International Falls, Minnesota	14.2	7	Boise Cascade	^[16]	1924/1946
Thomson Hydro	Thomson, Minnesota	72	6	Minnesota Power	^[17]	1907/1914/ 1919/1949
Ford Dam	Saint Paul, Minnesota	18	4	Brookfield Renewable Partners	^[18]	1924
Lake Zumbro Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Wabasha County, Minnesota	2.3	2	Rochester Public Utilities	^[19] ^[20]	1919
Blanchard Dam	Morrison County, Minnesota	18		Minnesota Power		1925
Little Falls Dam. Little Falls MN	Little Falls Dam		4

Biomass

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	^[21]	2015
Cloquet Mill	Cloquet, Minnesota	89	3	wood/ wood waste	Sappi	^[22]	1976/1997/2001
M L Hibbard	Duluth, Minnesota	48	2	wood/ wood waste/ coal	Minnesota Power	^[23] ^[24]	1949/1951
St. Paul CoGen	St. Paul, Minnesota	33	1	wood/ wood waste	District Energy	^[25]	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	^[26]	1989
Hometown BioEnergy	Le Sueur County, Minnesota	8	1	MMPA	^[27]	2014
Red Wing Plant	Red Wing, Minnesota	18	2	Xcel Energy	^[28]	1949
Koda Biomass Plant	Shakopee, Minnesota	20	1	Koda Energy	^[29]	2009
Olmsted Waste Energy	Rochester, Minnesota	8	3	District Energy	^[30]	1987/2010
Wilmarth Plant	Mankato, Minnesota	18	2	Xcel Energy	^[31]	1948/1951

External links

• Minnesota Energy Profile
• DOE EIA Inventory of Electric Utility Power Plants in the United States 2000
• https://www.xcelenergy.com/energy_portfolio/electricity/power_plants/sherburne_county_(sherco)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Minnesota Electricity Profile . U.S. Energy Information Administration . 2024-04-16.
2. Web site: Minnesota Electricity Profile Analysis . U.S. EIA . 2022-07-18.
3. Web site: 2020-10-17. Boswell Energy Center. 2020-12-22. Global Energy Monitor. en.
4. News: 2021-01-21. Minnesota Power shutting, converting final two coal plants by 2035. Star Tribune. 2021-06-23.
5. Web site: 2020-10-17 . Hibbing Power Plant . 2020-12-22 . Global Energy Monitor . en.
6. Web site: Hoot Lake Plant . 2021-01-16 . Otter Tail Power Co. . en.
7. Web site: 2020-10-17 . Hoot Lake Plant . 2020-12-22 . Global Energy Monitor . en.
8. Web site: Hoot Lake Plant . 2022-02-02 . Otter Tail Power Co. . en.
9. Web site: Sherco 3 brochure p. 2 . Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Association. https://web.archive.org/web/20170907075413/https://smmpa.com/media/12462/sherco_3_brochure_2010.pdf . 2017-09-07 .
10. Web site: Community gets Taconite Harbor update from MN Power . 2021-01-16 . WTIP North Shore Community Radio . en.
11. Web site: 2020-10-17 . Taconite Harbor Energy Center . 2020-12-22 . Global Energy Monitor . en.
12. Web site: Generation – Mix of Fuels . Minnesota Power . 2022-12-03.
13. Web site: Aurora Solar Project . Enel Greenpower . 2021-01-08.
14. Web site: Marshall solar project up and running for Xcel Energy . 2017-01-27 . Marshall Independent . Deb Gau.
15. Web site: North Star . Swinerton Renewable Energy . 2021-01-08.
16. Web site: International Falls Hydro Power Plant . Global Energy Observatory . 2021-01-16.
17. Web site: Hometown Hydropower . Minnesota Power . 2021-01-16.
18. Web site: Twin Cities Assembly Plant Hydroelectric Dam . City of Saint Paul . 2021-01-16.
19. Web site: Hess . Jeffrey A. . [{{NRHP url|id=91000243}} National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Lake Zumbro Hydroelectric Generating Plant ]. National Park Service . October 1989 . 2016-04-02.
20. Web site: Listing of Minnesota Hydropower Facility Sites . Minnesota Department of Natural Resources . 2017 . 30 Dec 2022.
21. Web site: Boise Cascade International Falls Mill Waste Plant . Global Energy Observatory . 2021-01-08.
22. Web site: Sappi Cloquet Mill Waste Plant . Global Energy Observatory . 2021-01-08.
23. Web site: M L Hibbard Waste Plant . Global Energy Observatory . 2021-01-08.
24. Web site: Generation – Mix of Fuels . Minnesota Power . 2022-12-03.
25. Web site: St. Paul Cogeneration . Ever-green Energy . 2021-01-16.
26. Web site: Hennepin Energy Recovery Center . Hennepin County . 2021-01-16.
27. Web site: Hometown BioEnergy . Minnesota Municipal Power Association . 2021-01-16.
28. Web site: Red Wing Generating Station . Biomass Magazine . 2021-01-16.
29. Web site: Koda Energy . www.kodaenergy.com . 2021-01-16.
30. Web site: Waste-to-Energy Facility . Olmsted County, MN . 2021-01-16.
31. Web site: Wilmarth Generating Station . Biomass Magazine . 2021-01-16.