130th largest plant in Minnesota · 5526th nationally
Blue Earth is a oil power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 11.0 MW. It generates roughly 31 MWh per year — enough to power about 2 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1128 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Blue Earth |
|---|---|
| Operator | Blue Earth Light & Water |
| City | Blue Earth |
| County | Faribault County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 56013 |
| Coordinates | 43.63750, -94.10167 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IC6 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.8 MW | Operating | 1996 |
| IC8 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.8 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| IC3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.6 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| IC4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.6 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| IC5 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.6 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| IC1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.5 MW | Operating | 1960 |
| IC7 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.1 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| CO₂ | 17 metric tons |
|---|---|
| CO₂ Rate | 1128 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.. |
Oil-fired plants typically run only during peak demand or grid emergencies because oil is expensive compared to gas and coal. They have the highest CO₂ emissions per MWh of any common generation technology.