Sherburne County
Sherburne County is a coal plant in Sherburne County, Minnesota, operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota. No other power plant in Minnesota has more nameplate capacity; the state has 792 in all. Its biggest unit, rated at 939 MW, is the largest single generator in Minnesota. The operator has reported planned retirement dates for 1,704 MW of it, between 2026 and 2030. Retired units here add up to 765 MW across 1 unit, taken out of service in 2023.
Nameplate capacity, 2025
1,704 MW
1,556 MW net summer capacity
2 operable units
- Coal steam1,704 MW100%
Unit by unit, 1976 to 2025
operating in 2025retiredreported planned retirementbar 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 Countythis plant
- 2Prairie Island1,186 MW
- 3Clay Boswell923 MW
Other rankings
- All US power plants
- 113th of 14,286
- US coal plants
- 34th of 195
- Coal plants in Minnesota
- 1st of 8
- Plants in the MISO (Midcontinent) balancing area
- 15th of 2,383
- Plants run by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
- 1st of 51
Operable units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coal steam | 765 MW | 680 MW | 1976 | Operating, retirement planned for 2026 |
| 3 | Coal steam | 939 MW | 876 MW | 1987 | Operating, retirement planned for 2030 |
Retired units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | In service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Coal steam | 765 MW | 1977–2023 |
Who owns it
Shares are weighted by the nameplate capacity of each unit an owner holds.
| Owner | Share of capacity |
|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 32.5% |
| Southern Minnesota Mun P Agny | 22.6% |
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (sole owner of the other units) | 44.9% |
Grid and site
- Balancing area
- MISO (Midcontinent)
- Reliability region
- Midwest Reliability Organization
- Highest grid connection voltage
- 345 kV
- Water source
- Mississippi River
- Nearest town on record
- Becker
- Operator type
- Utility
- Coordinates
- 45.381°N, 93.893°W
Closest plants
| Plant | Runs on | Capacity | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherco Solar II | Solar | 237 MW | 1.4 mi southeast |
| Sherco Solar I | Solar | 223 MW | 2.8 mi northwest |
| Monticello Nuclear Facility | Nuclear | 685 MW | 3.9 mi southeast |
| DIVOCSG 11 - Sherburne | Solar | 1 MW | 4.1 mi northwest |
| Big Lake Project CSG | Solar | 5 MW | 5.9 mi southeast |
| Hammer Community (CSG) | Solar | 1 MW | 5.9 mi northwest |
| Hinterland CSG, LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 6.2 mi northwest |
| Hammer CSG | Solar | 4.8 MW | 6.2 mi northwest |