Black DogRetirement planned
Dakota County, Minnesota · EIA plant ID 1904 · Operator: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
Nameplate563MWSummer 491 MW
Generators3in service
Net generation870GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor20%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate9,019Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1954Runs as intermediate
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,051.4 | — | — |
| 2002 | 1,662.6 | — | — |
| 2003 | 1,805.8 | 36.4% | 10,254 |
| 2004 | 2,077.3 | 41.8% | 9,797 |
| 2005 | 2,221.3 | 43.7% | 9,797 |
| 2006 | 2,089.3 | 41.1% | 9,742 |
| 2007 | 2,149.5 | 42.3% | 9,808 |
| 2008 | 1,800 | 35.3% | 10,321 |
| 2009 | 1,735.3 | 34.2% | 10,063 |
| 2010 | 1,601.8 | 37.8% | 10,090 |
| 2011 | 1,519 | 37.0% | 10,254 |
| 2012 | 1,390.3 | 31.5% | 10,479 |
| 2013 | 1,635.5 | 37.1% | 10,222 |
| 2014 | 1,842.1 | 42.9% | 10,063 |
| 2015 | 1,252.9 | 42.2% | 8,492 |
| 2016 | 1,144 | 46.2% | 7,326 |
| 2017 | 689.8 | 27.9% | 7,385 |
| 2018 | 964.1 | 24.9% | 8,072 |
| 2019 | 1,780.2 | 41.1% | 7,917 |
| 2020 | 1,563.9 | 36.0% | 7,985 |
| 2021 | 1,910.5 | 44.1% | 7,596 |
| 2022 | 742.9 | 17.2% | 8,345 |
| 2023 | 1,790.4 | 41.4% | 8,305 |
| 2024 | 2,309.7 | 53.5% | 7,960 |
| 2025 | 870 | 20.2% | 9,019 |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CA | 136.9 | 117 | Oct 1954 | Operating · retirement planned | Dec 2031 | coming soon |
| 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 187.9 | 165 | Jun 2002 | Operating · retirement planned | Dec 2031 | coming soon |
| 6-1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 238 | 209 | Apr 2018 | Operating · retirement planned | Dec 2058 | coming soon |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 81 | 71.7 | Aug 1952 | Retired Jun 2002 | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 113.6 | 79 | Jul 1955 | Retired Apr 2015 | — | coming soon |
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 163.2 | 153 | Sep 1960 | Retired Apr 2015 | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 100.0% | 563 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| EKS Landfill | retired | 5.8 km |
| St. Paul Intl Airport Red & Blue Parking | 3 MW | 8.3 km |
| Thomson Reuters Campus Bldg A-D | 14 MW | 10.7 km |
| West Group Data Center F | retired | 10.7 km |
| Thomson Reuters Data Center Bldg H | retired | 10.7 km |
| Thomson Reuters Data Center Bldg ES101 | 1 MW | 10.8 km |