52nd largest plant in Minnesota · 2689th nationally
Hutchinson Plant #2 is a natural gas power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 90.5 MW. It generates roughly 25.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 2,380 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 3% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1333 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 (90.5 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 | Hutchinson Plant #2 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Hutchinson Utilities Comm |
| City | Hutchinson |
| County | Mcleod County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55350 |
| Coordinates | 44.88888, -94.34935 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 54.0 MW | Operating | 1994 |
| 1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 25.0 MW | Retired | 1977 |
| 9 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 25.0 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 11.5 MW | Operating | 1994 |
| CO₂ | 16.7k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 14 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1333 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.