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Olmsted Waste Energy

Waste power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. Approximate location 44.0261, -92.4323.

WasteMinnesotaUnited States of America

Olmsted Waste Energy is a 11 MW waste power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. It is operated by Olmsted County Public Works. Based on reported annual generation of 32 GWh, it can supply roughly 9.2k homes. It ranks #5517 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2001, it is around 25 years old — relatively modern. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

11Source-backed capacity
32GWh reported / yr
9,200homes powered
2001commissioned (~25 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050413.

Data status

Known data

FacilityOlmsted Waste Energy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Minnesota WRI
Coordinates44.0261, -92.4323 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity11 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerOlmsted County Public Works WRI
Commissioned2001 WRI
GWh reported / yr32 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5517 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#212 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.71× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent9,200 calculated from reported generation
Climate6.8°C · HDD 4,299 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot available not in dataset

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

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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 11 MW, Olmsted Waste Energy is well above the median waste plant in United States of America (7 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 29 GWh20132014: 28 GWh20142015: 32 GWh20152016: 33 GWh20162017: 33 GWh20172018: 33 GWh20182019: 32 GWh201933 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Olmsted County Public Works.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.8°Cannual mean temp
4,299heating degree-days (base 18°C)
227cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
366 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -11 °CJF: -7 °CFM: 0 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 9 °CON: 0 °CND: -8 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 75% 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: 88/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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
32.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
368 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 #212 largest waste power plant of 551 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 551 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 10,154 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 44.0261, -92.4323 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Olmsted Waste Energy?

Olmsted Waste Energy is a 11 MW source-record waste power plant in Minnesota, United States of America, commissioned in 2001.

How much electricity does Olmsted Waste Energy generate?

Olmsted Waste Energy generates about 32 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Olmsted Waste Energy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 9,200 homes.

Who operates Olmsted Waste Energy?

Olmsted Waste Energy is operated by Olmsted County Public Works.

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