7th largest plant in Minnesota · 622nd nationally
Allen S King is a coal power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 598 MW. It generates roughly 928.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 88,417 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 18% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2349 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (598 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Allen S King |
|---|---|
| Operator | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota |
| City | Oak Park Heights |
| County | Washington County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55003 |
| Coordinates | 45.03000, -92.77860 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 598 MW | Operating | 1958 |
| CO₂ | 1.1M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 558 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 493 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2349 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.