Sherburne County — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 6090
- Capacity
- 1704 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Coal
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Sherburne, MN
- Operating Since
- 1976
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 7,312,757 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 49.0%
- Balancing Authority
- Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
- ISO/RTO
- MISO
- NERC Region
- MRO
Sherburne County
OperatingSub. Coal
Ranked #1 of 8 Sub. Coal plants in MN#18 of 103 nationally
1704 MW Sub. Coal operating in Sherburne, MN — Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
EIAWD
1,704 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Steam Coal
Technology
1976
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
45.3808, -93.8931
County
Sherburne, MN
Nearby Plants
- Sherco LDESBESS10 MW · 0.7 km
- Sherco Solar IISolar237.1 MW · 2.2 km
- Sherco Solar ISolar222.9 MW · 4.5 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | — | — |
| Owner(s) | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Southern Minnesota Mun P Agny | — | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
No GEM tracker match for this plant — ownership chain unavailable.
About
The Sherburne County Generating Station, also known as Sherco, is a large coal-fired power plant on the banks of the Mississippi River in Becker, Minnesota, which is in Sherburne County. Its two active units have a combined capacity of 1,704 megawatts, making it the largest power plant in the state. In comparison, the single-unit Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant located less than four miles away has an output of 671 MW. The state's other nuclear power plant, the 2-unit Prairie Island facility, is rated at 1,096 MW. The station uses 20,000 to 30,000 tons of coal per day. The BNSF Railway delivers up to three 115-car trains per day from mines in the Powder River Basin.
Read more on WikipediaThe Sherburne County Generating Station is a 1704 MW coal-fired power plant located in Sherburne County, Minnesota. It began operating in 1976 and is owned and operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota. The plant utilizes conventional steam coal technology and consists of two generators. Sherburne County is the largest power plant in Minnesota out of four plants, and ranks 15th nationally out of 75 plants.
The plant operates within the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) balancing authority and the MRO NERC region. The latest annual generation data indicates an output of 7,312,757 MWh, achieving a capacity factor of 49.0%. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $575.57 per kW, based on FERC filings. News coverage of the plant includes 4 articles related to grid issues, 4 related to industry news, 1 related to deals, and 1 related to regulatory matters.
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
345 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
682.6K MWh
Latest Month
7.3M MWh
Annual Generation
49.0%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$1,293/kW
Installed Cost
$36.5/MWh
Operating Cost
Northern States Power Company (Minnesota)
Reporting Utility
Annual Capital & Operating Expenses
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Sherburne County Substation · 345 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Operator
Xcel Energy
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
MISO
LMP Node
NSP SHERCO SHERCN_3_UNIT
Pricing Hub
MINN.HUB
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
Regulatory·federal policy
The State of the Science 1 Year On: Environment
Administration policies have eliminated funding sources, review processes, and pollution limits designed to protect the nation's land,...
Administration (regulator)
Eos·2 months ago
Industry·technology
Minnesota doesn’t have an easy path to 100% carbon-free electricity
The state will need firm resources like nuclear, geothermal, hydropower or long-duration batteries — each with advantages and downsides...
Minnesota Reformer·2 months ago
Grid·capacity addition
Xcel proposes doubling battery storage at Minnesota coal plant
Xcel Energy asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for authorization to boost energy storage at its Sherco plant to 600 MW.
Xcel Energy (developer)Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (regulator)
Utility Dive·4 months ago
Deals·other
Minnesota Loses $70 Million Xcel Energy Battery Project as DOE Cuts Funding
(KNSI) - The U.S. Department of Energy announced the cancellation of billions of dollars in funding for projec...
Xcel Energy (developer)U.S. Department of Energy (regulator)
KNSI·5 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles