Wessington Springs
Jerauld County, South Dakota · EIA plant ID 56650 · Operator: Wessington Wind
Nameplate51MWSummer 51 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation224GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor50%wind units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online2009
The 12-month figures include preliminary EIA-923 months, which EIA revises. Final data runs through Dec 2025.
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), wind 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 5.8 | — | — |
| 2009 | 175.6 | 43.0% | — |
| 2010 | 185.2 | 41.5% | — |
| 2011 | 218.6 | 48.9% | — |
| 2012 | 211 | 47.1% | — |
| 2013 | 201.6 | 45.1% | — |
| 2014 | 217.6 | 48.7% | — |
| 2015 | 208.8 | 46.7% | — |
| 2016 | 212.6 | 47.5% | — |
| 2017 | 199.7 | 44.7% | — |
| 2018 | 180.2 | 40.3% | — |
| 2019 | 175.6 | 39.3% | — |
| 2020 | 224.8 | 50.2% | — |
| 2021 | 217.9 | 48.8% | — |
| 2022 | 250.9 | 56.2% | — |
| 2023 | 207.1 | 46.4% | — |
| 2024 | 231 | 51.6% | — |
| 2025 | 231.2 | 51.7% | — |
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 | Onshore Wind Turbine | WT | 51 | 51 | Feb 2009 | Operating | — | ge 1.5 SLE |
Owner / operator
Operator: Wessington Wind. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Wessington Wind | 100.0% | 51 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Prairie Winds SD1 | 162 MW | 20.4 km |
| Aurora County Wind | 20 MW | 36 km |
| Brule County Wind | 20 MW | 41.4 km |
| POET Bioprocessing- Mitchell | 4 MW | 45.1 km |
| Sweetland Wind Farm, LLC | 200 MW | 45.9 km |
| Bob Glanzer Generating Station | 69 MW | 52.7 km |