39th largest plant in Minnesota · 2347th nationally
Lake Benton I is a wind power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 107 MW. It generates roughly 223.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 21,252 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 24% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Lake Benton I |
|---|---|
| Operator | Allete Clean Energy |
| City | Lake Benton |
| County | Lincoln County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 56149 |
| Coordinates | 44.29170, -96.37500 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXIS | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 107 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Wind farms harvest kinetic energy from moving air using large rotor blades coupled to generators. Like solar, they produce zero emissions but vary with weather. Onshore wind capacity factors typically run 30–45%; offshore can exceed 50%.