2nd largest plant in Minnesota · 245th nationally
Prairie Island is a nuclear power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 1,186 MW. It generates roughly 7.1M MWh per year — enough to power about 679,062 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 69% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Prairie Island |
|---|---|
| Operator | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota |
| City | Welch |
| County | Goodhue County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55066 |
| Coordinates | 44.62200, -92.63330 |
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 | 593 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| 2 | Nuclear | Uranium | 593 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| 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.