Sappi Cloquet Mill
Sappi Cloquet Mill is a biomass and waste plant in Carlton County, Minnesota, operated by Sappi Cloquet LLC. It is the biggest of Minnesota’s 13 biomass and waste plants. Counting by its oldest working unit (1929), it is the fifth-oldest of the 584 biomass and waste plants still running in the United States. Its oldest working unit dates from 1929, earlier than at any other biomass and waste plant in Minnesota. Two units here can switch between natural gas and oil.
Nameplate capacity, 2025
94.5 MW
76.6 MW net summer capacity
7 operable units
- Wood and wood waste88.3 MW93%
- Hydro6.2 MW6.6%
Unit by unit, 1925 to 2025
operating in 2025retiredbar height follows unit size
Among Minnesota’s plants
Largest plants in the state by nameplate capacity, with the plants ranked next to this one.
- 1Sherburne County1,704 MW
- 2Prairie Island1,186 MW
- 3Clay Boswell923 MW
- 49Elm Creek Wind LLC99 MW
- 50Mower County Wind Energy Center98.9 MW
- 51Sappi Cloquet Millthis plant
- 52Hutchinson Plant #290.5 MW
- 53Cascade Creek84.9 MW
Other rankings
- All US power plants
- 2808th of 14,286
- Power plants in Minnesota
- 51st of 792
- US biomass and waste plants
- 24th of 584
- Plants in the MISO (Midcontinent) balancing area
- 491st of 2,383
- Biggest single unit, among Minnesota’s plants
- 68th of 792
Operable units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HGN5 | Hydro | 0.8 MW | 0.5 MW | 1929 | Operating |
| HGN6 | Hydro | 0.8 MW | 0.5 MW | 1929 | Operating |
| HGN1 | Hydro | 1.8 MW | 1.6 MW | 1950 | Operating |
| GEN3 | Wood and wood waste | 19.2 MW | 17.5 MW | 1976 | Operating |
| HGN7 | Hydro | 2.8 MW | 1 MW | 1980 | Operating |
| GEN4 | Wood and wood waste | 41.5 MW | 41.5 MW | 1997 | Operating |
| GEN5 | Wood and wood waste | 27.6 MW | 14 MW | 2001 | Operating |
Retired units
Retired capacity here totals 2 MW, mostly biomass and waste units.
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | In service |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Wood and wood waste | 2 MW | 1925–1988 |
Grid and site
- Balancing area
- MISO (Midcontinent)
- Reliability region
- Midwest Reliability Organization
- Highest grid connection voltage
- 115 kV
- Water source
- Lake Superior
- Nearest town on record
- Cloquet
- Operator type
- Industrial (cogeneration)
- Coordinates
- 46.724°N, 92.430°W
Closest plants
| Plant | Runs on | Capacity | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knife Falls | Hydroelectric | 2.4 MW | 0.9 mi west |
| Scanlon | Hydroelectric | 1.6 MW | 1.1 mi south |
| Thomson | Hydroelectric | 72.6 MW | 6.6 mi southeast |
| MP CSG 1 LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 7.5 mi south |
| Fond Du Lac | Hydroelectric | 12 MW | 7.6 mi southeast |
| M L Hibbard | Biomass and waste | 72.8 MW | 13.2 mi east |
| Jean Duluth Solar | Solar | 1.6 MW | 20.6 mi northeast |
| Moose Lake | Oil and petroleum | 10.2 MW | 24.4 mi southwest |