50th largest plant in North Dakota · 5301st nationally
American Crystal Sugar Hillsboro is a coal power plant in North Dakota with a nameplate capacity of 13.3 MW. It generates roughly 91.8k MWh per year — enough to power about 8,746 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 79% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 1224 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 (13.3 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 Hillsboro |
|---|---|
| Operator | American Crystal Sugar Co |
| City | Hillsboro |
| County | Traill County |
| State | North Dakota |
| ZIP | 58045 |
| Coordinates | 47.43756, -97.06311 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 13.3 MW | Operating | 1990 |
| CO₂ | 56.2k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 161 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 110 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1224 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.