French Island — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 4005
- Capacity
- 188 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Oil
- Technology
- Municipal Solid Waste, Petroleum Liquids
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- La Crosse, WI
- Operating Since
- 1940
- Generators
- 4
- Operator
- Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 59,484 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 3.6%
- Balancing Authority
- Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
- ISO/RTO
- MISO
- NERC Region
- MRO
French Island
OperatingDistillate OilMuni. WasteHybrid
Ranked #2 of 20 Distillate Oil plants in WI#18 of 827 nationally
188 MW Municipal Solid Waste (30 MW) + Petroleum Liquids (158 MW) operating in La Crosse, WI — Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
EIAWD
188 MW
Nameplate Capacity
4
Generators
units
Hybrid (2)
Technology
Municipal Solid Waste + Petroleum Liquids
1940
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
43.8292, -91.2597
County
La Crosse, WI
Nearby Plants
- Winona Community Solar One LLCSolar1 MW · 6.2 km
- FastSun 5 CSGSolar1 MW · 6.2 km
- Houston/Winona Community Solar One LLCSolar1 MW · 6.8 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | — | — |
| Owner(s) | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | — | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
No GEM tracker match for this plant — ownership chain unavailable.
About
French Island Generating Plant is a waste fired electrical power station located on French Island in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Unit 1 and 2 are boiler / steam turbine units originally constructed in the 1940s operating on coal. They were converted to burn oil in the early 1970s. When oil became too costly, alternative fuels were used. Unit 2 was converted to burn waste wood in an Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Boiler in the early 1980s with unit 1 following in 1987.
Read more on WikipediaFrench Island is a 188 MW hybrid power plant located in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. The plant began operating in 1940 and is owned and operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota. The primary fuel source is petroleum liquids (DFO), but the plant also utilizes municipal solid waste as a fuel. French Island has four generators.
The plant operates within the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) balancing authority and the MRO NERC region. In the most recent year of data, French Island generated 59,484 MWh of electricity, resulting in a capacity factor of 3.6%. It is ranked as the 2nd largest of 2 plants in the state and 39th of 60 nationally.
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
69 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
4.7K MWh
Latest Month
59.5K MWh
Annual Generation
3.6%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
French Island Substation · 69 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
MISO
LMP Node
NSP FRENCH_G FRENCH_3_UNIT
Pricing Hub
MICHIGAN.HUB
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
General
Cheryl Lee (Fiero) Hanson
Cheryl Lee (Fiero) Hanson passed away on August 28, 2025, at her La Crosse home, surrounded by her loving family and caregivers. Che.
Coulee Cremation·6 months ago
Hazards·extreme heat
The Severe Storms of July 28-29, 2025
High heat and humidity fueled intense storms that initiated over South Dakota Monday afternoon, which went on to organize into 2 clusters...
National Weather Service (.gov)·8 months ago
General
James A. Sackmann
James (Jim) Sackmann 78, unexpectedly passed in Groveland, Florida on March 20, 2025, while wintering at their second home in the Woodl.
Coulee Region Cremation Group·10 months ago
Industry·technology
Xcel Energy French Island plant taking more garbage to convert to power
Xcel Energy's French Island facility has been converting garbage into power since the 1980s. “We're one of the only ones in the state of Wisconsin,” said Mike...
Xcel Energy (operator)
news8000.com·1 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-26
View all 10 articles