Riverside (MN)

Gas power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. Approximate location 45.0203, -93.2753.

GasMinnesotaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

Riverside (MN) is a 586 MW gas power station in Minnesota, United States of America. It is operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota. Based on reported annual generation of 3,086 GWh, it can supply roughly 882k homes. It ranks #1148 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 950,776 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 222k cars driven for a year. 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).

586Legacy source-record capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
3,086GWh reported / yr
881,600homes powered
950,776t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001927.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRiverside (MN) WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Minnesota WRI
Coordinates45.0203, -93.2753 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity586 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNorthern States Power Co - Minnesota WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr3,086 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions950,776 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1148 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#504 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.83× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent881,600 calculated from reported generation
Climate7.6°C · HDD 4,122 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 586 MW, Riverside (MN) is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

950,776 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

222kpassenger cars driven for a year
124khomes' yearly energy use
16 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2013: 1,411 GWh20132014: 1,008 GWh20142015: 2,632 GWh20152016: 2,433 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 2,450 GWh20182019: 3,086 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota. All plants by this company →

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 warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.6°Cannual mean temp
4,122heating degree-days (base 18°C)
343cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
255 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -11 °CJF: -7 °CFM: 0 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 0 °CND: -7 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 68% 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: 86/100 — 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
33.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
334 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 #504 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 45.0203, -93.2753 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Riverside (MN)?

Riverside (MN) is a 586 MW source-record gas power plant in Minnesota, United States of America, commissioned in 2002.

How much electricity does Riverside (MN) generate?

Riverside (MN) generates about 3,086 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Riverside (MN) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 881,600 homes.

Who operates Riverside (MN)?

Riverside (MN) is operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota.

How much CO₂ does Riverside (MN) emit?

Riverside (MN) has measured emissions of about 950,776 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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