1st largest plant in Minnesota · 33rd nationally
Sherburne County is a coal power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 2,469 MW. It generates roughly 6.7M MWh per year — enough to power about 638,908 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 31% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2237 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (2,469 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Sherburne County |
|---|---|
| Operator | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota |
| City | Becker |
| County | Sherburne County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55308 |
| Coordinates | 45.38080, -93.89310 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 939 MW | Operating | 1987 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 765 MW | Operating | 1976 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 765 MW | Retired | 1977 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | 5900.0% |
| Southern Minnesota Mun P Agny | Rochester, MN | 4100.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 7.5M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 2.5k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 4.6k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2237 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.. |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.