Thomson — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 1901
- Capacity
- 72.6 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Carlton, MN
- Operating Since
- 1907
- Generators
- 6
- Operator
- ALLETE, Inc.
- Parent Company
- ALLETE
- Annual Generation
- 290,470 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 45.6%
- Balancing Authority
- Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
- ISO/RTO
- MISO
- NERC Region
- MRO
Thomson
OperatingHydro
Ranked #1 of 23 Hydro plants in MN#242 of 1454 nationally
72.6 MW Hydro operating in Carlton, MN — Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
EIAGEMWD
72.6 MW
Nameplate Capacity
6
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1907
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
46.6562, -92.3323
County
Carlton, MN
Nearby Plants
- Fond Du LacHydro12 MW · 3.0 km
- MP CSG 1 LLCSolar1 MW · 6.2 km
- ScanlonHydro1.6 MW · 9.0 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ALLETE, Inc. | ALLETE | — |
| Owner(s) | ALLETE, Inc. | ALLETE | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
The Thomson hydroelectric plant is located in Carlton County, Minnesota. It is owned and operated by ALLETE, Inc. The plant has a total capacity of 72.6 MW consisting of 6 generators, and it began operating in 1907. Thomson is the second-largest hydroelectric plant in Minnesota (2 of 24) and ranks 244th nationally among 1464 hydroelectric facilities. The plant's primary fuel source is water (WAT), utilizing conventional hydroelectric technology.
In the most recent year of record, Thomson generated 290,470 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 45.6%. The plant operates within the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (MISO) balancing authority and the MRO NERC region. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $1561.09 per kW. The power purchase agreement (PPA) price is $40 per MWh.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
MRO
Balancing Authority
Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
Grid Voltage
115 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
10.6K MWh
Latest Month
290.5K MWh
Annual Generation
45.6%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1, FERC Electric Quarterly ReportsHIGH
$40.0/MWh
PPA Price
ALLETE, Inc.
Contract Seller
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Wrenshall Substation · 115 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
MISO
LMP Node
MP.THOMSON
Pricing Hub
MINN.HUB
Location Type
Generation Node
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
Deals·m and a
U.S. Steel-Nippon deal hinged on Trump having a say in future operations. How will he use that power?
As U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel tried to bring their courtship to the finish line earlier this year, they agreed to give the U.S. government...
U.S. Steel (seller)Nippon Steel (buyer)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette·3 months ago
Industry·corporate
Officials investigating workplace death at Twin Cities manufacturing plant
State safety inspectors are investigating after a work related accident resulted in a fatality at an Eagan, Minnesota manufacturing...
CBS News·4 months ago
Industry·corporate
David Wayne Thompson (Dave) Obituary | 1937 - 2025
David Wayne Thompson (Dave) passed away on September 30, 2025. This is the full obituary where you can express condolences and share...
David Wayne Thompson (other)
Minnesota Star Tribune Obituaries·5 months ago
Industry·corporate
Dorothy Thomson Obituary | 2025 - 2022
Dorothy Thomson passed away on November 2, 2022. This is the full obituary where you can express condolences and share memories. Published in the Minnesota...
Dorothy Thomson (other)
Star Tribune·6 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles