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Hutchinson Plant #1

Gas power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. Approximate location 44.888881, -94.34935.

GasMinnesotaUnited States of America

Hutchinson Plant #1 is a 53 MW gas power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. It is operated by Hutchinson Utilities Comm. Based on reported annual generation of 7 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.1k homes. It ranks #3621 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1995, it is around 31 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

53Source-backed capacity
7GWh reported / yr
2,114homes powered
1995commissioned (~31 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001980.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHutchinson Plant #1 WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Minnesota WRI
Coordinates44.888881, -94.34935 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity53 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHutchinson Utilities Comm WRI
Commissioned1995 WRI
GWh reported / yr7 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,960 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#3621 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1339 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.44× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate6.8°C · HDD 4,331 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 66 MW for Hutchinson Plant-2 power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000402006); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 53 MW, Hutchinson Plant #1 is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 7 GWh20197 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Hutchinson Utilities Comm.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.8°Cannual mean temp
4,331heating degree-days (base 18°C)
287cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
309 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -12 °CJF: -8 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 9 °CON: 0 °CND: -8 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 76% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 89/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
33.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
432 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #1339 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 44.888881, -94.34935 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hutchinson Plant #1?

Hutchinson Plant #1 is a 53 MW source-record gas power plant in Minnesota, United States of America, commissioned in 1995.

How much electricity does Hutchinson Plant #1 generate?

Hutchinson Plant #1 generates about 7 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Hutchinson Plant #1 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,114 homes.

Who operates Hutchinson Plant #1?

Hutchinson Plant #1 is operated by Hutchinson Utilities Comm.

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