Big Blue
Faribault County, Minnesota · EIA plant ID 57289 · Operator: Big Blue Wind Farm LLC
Nameplate36MWSummer 36 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation71GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor22%wind units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online2012
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4.6 | 17.2% | — |
| 2013 | 111.8 | 35.5% | — |
| 2014 | 118.7 | 37.6% | — |
| 2015 | 129 | 40.9% | — |
| 2016 | 127.1 | 40.2% | — |
| 2017 | 120.6 | 38.3% | — |
| 2018 | 115.3 | 36.6% | — |
| 2019 | 104.8 | 33.2% | — |
| 2020 | 85.2 | 26.9% | — |
| 2021 | 69.6 | 22.1% | — |
| 2022 | 95.6 | 30.3% | — |
| 2023 | 74.6 | 23.7% | — |
| 2024 | 70 | 22.1% | — |
| 2025 | 70.6 | 22.4% | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBWP | Onshore Wind Turbine | WT | 36 | 36 | Dec 2012 | Operating | — | gamesa G97-2.0 |
Owner / operator
Operator: Big Blue Wind Farm LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Big Blue Wind Farm LLC | 100.0% | 36 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Blue Breezes II LLC | 1 MW | 5.6 km |
| Blue Breezes LLC | 1 MW | 5.7 km |
| Blue Earth | 11 MW | 7.8 km |
| Fairmont Wind | 5 MW | 20.9 km |
| Ledyard Windpower, LLC | 207 MW | 21.4 km |
| Fairmont (MN) | 39 MW | 22.5 km |