27th largest plant in North Dakota · 2258th nationally
Prairie Winds Nd1 is a wind power plant in North Dakota with a nameplate capacity of 116 MW. It generates roughly 328.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 31,254 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 32% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Prairie Winds Nd1 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Basin Electric Power Coop |
| City | Minot |
| County | Ward County |
| State | North Dakota |
| ZIP | 58701 |
| Coordinates | 47.93362, -101.26919 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ND1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 116 MW | Operating | 2009 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Southwest Power Pool |
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%.