17th largest plant in North Dakota · 1882nd nationally
Merricourt Wind Energy Center is a wind power plant in North Dakota with a nameplate capacity of 150 MW. It generates roughly 594.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 56,641 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 45% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Merricourt Wind Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Otter Tail Power Co |
| City | Kulm |
| County | Mcintosh County |
| State | North Dakota |
| ZIP | 58456 |
| Coordinates | 46.10750, -99.05920 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 150 MW | Operating | 2020 |
| 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%.