Big Falls
Rusk County, Wisconsin · EIA plant ID 3983 · Operator: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
Nameplate8MWSummer 3 MW
Generators3in service
Net generation27GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor95%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1922
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), hydro 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.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 36.6 | 55.7% | — |
| 2002 | 39.9 | 60.8% | — |
| 2003 | 30.2 | 46.0% | — |
| 2004 | 32 | 48.6% | — |
| 2005 | 30 | 46.3% | — |
| 2006 | 26.9 | 41.5% | — |
| 2007 | 23.2 | 35.8% | — |
| 2008 | 26 | 40.0% | — |
| 2009 | 20.6 | 31.3% | — |
| 2010 | 33.6 | 51.1% | — |
| 2011 | 25.6 | 88.7% | — |
| 2012 | 23.9 | 73.5% | — |
| 2013 | 31.9 | 88.8% | — |
| 2014 | 47.5 | 164.3% | — |
| 2015 | 44.6 | 154.4% | — |
| 2016 | 52.7 | 181.8% | — |
| 2017 | 51.8 | 179.3% | — |
| 2018 | 43.4 | 150.2% | — |
| 2019 | 32.8 | 113.4% | — |
| 2020 | 43.3 | 149.5% | — |
| 2021 | 37.1 | 128.3% | — |
| 2022 | 20.4 | 70.7% | — |
| 2023 | 32.8 | 113.3% | — |
| 2024 | 36.1 | 124.6% | — |
| 2025 | 27.3 | 94.5% | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 2.6 | 1.1 | Jan 1922 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 2.6 | 1.1 | Jan 1922 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 2.5 | 1.1 | Sep 1993 | Operating | — | 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% | 8 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Flambeau Hydroelectric Station | 19 MW | 0 km |
| Ladysmith Dam | 3 MW | 4.2 km |
| Conrath DPC Solar | 1 MW | 14 km |
| Thornapple | 1 MW | 16.1 km |
| Timberline Trail Gas Recovery | 3 MW | 24.7 km |
| Holcombe | 34 MW | 30.5 km |