Busch Ranch Wind Energy Farm
Huerfano County, Colorado · EIA plant ID 57980 · Operator: Black Hills/Colorado Elec.Util
Nameplate29MWSummer 29 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation69GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor27%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 | 19.6 | 80.6% | — |
| 2013 | 91.3 | 94.8% | — |
| 2014 | 96.6 | 100.3% | — |
| 2015 | 82.1 | 32.3% | — |
| 2016 | 95.5 | 37.5% | — |
| 2017 | 89.9 | 35.4% | — |
| 2018 | 93.6 | 36.9% | — |
| 2019 | 90.6 | 35.6% | — |
| 2020 | 91.4 | 35.9% | — |
| 2021 | 87.4 | 34.4% | — |
| 2022 | 87.2 | 34.3% | — |
| 2023 | 85.2 | 33.6% | — |
| 2024 | 83.7 | 32.9% | — |
| 2025 | 69.4 | 27.3% | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTG | Onshore Wind Turbine | WT | 29 | 29 | Oct 2012 | Operating | — | vestas V100-1.8 |
Owner / operator
Operator: Black Hills/Colorado Elec.Util. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Black Hills Electric Generation LLC | 50.0% | 15 MW |
| Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC | 50.0% | 15 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Busch Ranch II Wind Farm | 59 MW | 6.7 km |
| Peak View Wind Farm | 61 MW | 10.2 km |
| Huerfano River Wind | 8 MW | 30.1 km |
| Elk Run | — | 38.5 km |
| Rocky Mountain Solar | 525 MW | 39.8 km |
| Arroyo Solar | — | 40.4 km |