Black Dog Generating Station — United States of America
Coal power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. Approximate location 44.810697, -93.249092.
CoalMinnesotaUnited States of Americasubcritical
Black Dog Generating Station is a 563 MW coal power station in Minnesota, United States of America. It is operated by Xcel Energy Inc [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 705k homes (estimated). It ranks #1126 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1952, it is around 74 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_blackdog_unite.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103997; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 563 MW, Black Dog Generating Station is around the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of United States of America coal capacity
- less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 51 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Xcel Energy Inc [100%].
Climate zone & how it works
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #399 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.
United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Black Dog · Gas · 562.8 MW · Minnesota
- EKS Landfill · Waste · 4.8 MW · Minnesota
- St. Paul Intl Airport Red & Blue Parking · Solar · 3.2 MW · Minnesota
- Thomson Reuters Campus Bldg A-D · Oil · 14 MW · Minnesota
- West Group Data Center F · Oil · 8 MW · Minnesota
- Thomson Reuters Data Center Bldg H · Oil · 8 MW · Minnesota
Location
Coordinates 44.810697, -93.249092 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Black Dog Generating Station?
Black Dog Generating Station is a 563 MW coal power plant in Minnesota, United States of America, commissioned in 1952.
Who operates Black Dog Generating Station?
Black Dog Generating Station is operated by Xcel Energy Inc [100%].