162nd largest plant in Minnesota · 6341st nationally
Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar is a coal power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 7.5 MW. It generates roughly 30.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 2,863 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 46% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 1201 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 (7.5 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 | Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar |
|---|---|
| Operator | Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar |
| City | Renville |
| County | Renville County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 56284 |
| Coordinates | 44.79641, -95.17979 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0001 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 7.5 MW | Operating | 1976 |
| CO₂ | 18.1k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 6 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 18 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1201 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.