R M Heskett — United States of America

R M Heskett is a 203 MW coal power station in North Dakota, United States of America. It is operated by Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. Based on reported annual generation of 439 GWh, it can supply roughly 126k homes. It ranks #1921 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. 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 USA0002790.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 203 MW, R M Heskett is below the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). 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

Load factor

25%, from 439 GWh of reported generation; the median for 244 coal plants in United States of America that report generation is 41%

Generation trend

445 GWh in 2013 and 439 GWh in 2019 (−1%)

Highest and lowest year

2018: 507 GWh; 2019: 439 GWh

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

516 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)).

Reported generation trend

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

Owner

Operated by Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 46.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 88% 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: 92/100 — 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

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 #589 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

• Heskett Station · Gas · 176 MW · North Dakota
• Tesoro Mandan Cogeneration Plant · Gas · 7.5 MW · North Dakota
• Oliver Wind III LLC · Wind · 99.3 MW · North Dakota
• FPL Energy Burleigh County Wind · Wind · 49.5 MW · North Dakota
• Baldwin Wind LLC · Wind · 102.4 MW · North Dakota
• Wilton Wind II LLC · Wind · 49.5 MW · North Dakota

Location

Coordinates 46.8669, -100.8836 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions