85th largest plant in Minnesota · 4256th nationally
Hutchinson Plant #1 is a natural gas power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 28.4 MW. It generates roughly 30.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 2,928 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 12% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1000 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Hutchinson Plant #1 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Hutchinson Utilities Comm |
| City | Hutchinson |
| County | Mcleod County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55350 |
| Coordinates | 44.89574, -94.36843 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 16.0 MW | Retired | 1971 |
| 11 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 9.8 MW | Operating | 2019 |
| 12 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 9.8 MW | Operating | 2019 |
| 10 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 8.8 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| 7 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 5.0 MW | Retired | 1964 |
| 3 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 4.5 MW | Retired | 1968 |
| 4 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 4.0 MW | Retired | 1968 |
| 5 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.1 MW | Retired | 1941 |
| 6 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.1 MW | Retired | 1947 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Retired | 1958 |
| CO₂ | 15.4k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 331 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1000 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.. |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.