Sappi Cloquet Mill

Waste power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. Approximate location 46.7243, -92.4298.

WasteMinnesotaUnited States of America

Sappi Cloquet Mill is a 94 MW waste power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. It is operated by Sappi Cloquet LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 480 GWh, it can supply roughly 137k homes. It ranks #2935 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1991, it is around 35 years old — long-established. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

94Source-backed capacity
480GWh reported / yr
137,085homes powered
1991commissioned (~35 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050639.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySappi Cloquet Mill WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Minnesota WRI
Coordinates46.7243, -92.4298 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity94 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSappi Cloquet LLC WRI
Commissioned1991 WRI
GWh reported / yr480 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2935 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#15 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers14.32× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent137,085 calculated from reported generation
Climate4.4°C · HDD 4,984 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 33/100 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 94 MW, Sappi Cloquet Mill 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: 414 GWh20132014: 436 GWh20142015: 439 GWh20152016: 431 GWh20162017: 461 GWh20172018: 472 GWh20182019: 480 GWh2019480 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Sappi Cloquet LLC.

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 46.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

4.4°Cannual mean temp
4,984heating degree-days (base 18°C)
63cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
309 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -13 °CJF: -10 °CFM: -3 °CMA: 4 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 7 °CON: -2 °CND: -10 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 103% 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: 94/100 — 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)
33/100environmental-severity index
32.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
168 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 #15 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 46.7243, -92.4298 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sappi Cloquet Mill?

Sappi Cloquet Mill is a 94 MW source-record waste power plant in Minnesota, United States of America, commissioned in 1991.

How much electricity does Sappi Cloquet Mill generate?

Sappi Cloquet Mill generates about 480 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Sappi Cloquet Mill power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 137,085 homes.

Who operates Sappi Cloquet Mill?

Sappi Cloquet Mill is operated by Sappi Cloquet LLC.

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