5th largest plant in Minnesota · 524th nationally
Monticello Nuclear Facility is a nuclear power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 685 MW. It generates roughly 4.8M MWh per year — enough to power about 456,523 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 80% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Monticello Nuclear Facility |
|---|---|
| Operator | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota |
| City | Monticello |
| County | Wright County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55362 |
| Coordinates | 45.33380, -93.84930 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear | Uranium | 685 MW | Operating | 1971 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Nuclear plants generate carbon-free baseload electricity by fissioning uranium fuel inside a reactor. They run nearly around-the-clock — typical capacity factors above 90% — and a single facility can power millions of homes. Spent fuel is stored on-site in dry casks. NRC oversees safety; emergency planning zones extend 10 miles from the reactor.