174th largest plant in Minnesota · 6568th nationally
Thief River Falls is a hydroelectric power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 6.5 MW. It generates roughly 3.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 307 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 6% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 5 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Thief River Falls |
|---|---|
| Operator | City Of Thief River Falls |
| City | Thief River Falls |
| County | Pennington County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 56701 |
| Coordinates | 48.11426, -96.17918 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IC1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.2 MW | Operating | 1956 |
| IC4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.4 MW | Operating | 1948 |
| IC2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.2 MW | Operating | 1952 |
| IC3A | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.2 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| HY1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | Water | 0.3 MW | Operating | 1927 |
| HY2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | Water | 0.2 MW | Operating | 1927 |
| CO₂ | 7 metric tons |
|---|---|
| CO₂ Rate | 5 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.. |
Hydroelectric plants spin turbines using falling or flowing water — typically from a dam-impounded reservoir. They are dispatchable, long-lived, and emission-free at the point of generation, though large reservoirs can disrupt rivers and ecosystems and methane can be released from flooded vegetation.