162nd largest plant in Minnesota · 6341st nationally
American Crystal Sugar East Grand Forks is a coal power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 7.5 MW. It generates roughly 28.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 2,714 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 43% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 1217 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 (7.5 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 | American Crystal Sugar East Grand Forks |
|---|---|
| Operator | American Crystal Sugar Co |
| City | East Grand Forks |
| County | Polk County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 56721 |
| Coordinates | 47.92720, -97.00715 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 5.0 MW | Operating | 1990 |
| G1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1990 |
| CO₂ | 17.3k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 7 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 21 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1217 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.