300th largest plant in Minnesota · 8705th nationally
Preston (Mn) is a natural gas power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 3.7 MW. It generates roughly 130 MWh per year — enough to power about 12 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1355 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Preston (Mn) |
|---|---|
| Operator | Preston Public Utilities Comm |
| City | Preston |
| County | Fillmore County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55965 |
| Coordinates | 43.66610, -92.08310 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| 5 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.1 MW | Operating | 1954 |
| 4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 1949 |
| 3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.3 MW | Retired | 1939 |
| 2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.2 MW | Retired | 1935 |
| 1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.1 MW | Retired | 1935 |
| CO₂ | 88 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 2 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1355 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.