Coal Creek
McLean County, North Dakota · EIA plant ID 6030 · Operator: Rainbow Energy Center
Nameplate1,216MWSummer 1,148 MW
Generators4in service
Net generation7,971GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor79%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate9,963Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1979Runs as baseload
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), 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 | 8,512.6 | — | — |
| 2002 | 8,559.1 | — | — |
| 2003 | 8,892.6 | 91.0% | 11,182 |
| 2004 | 8,475.1 | 86.6% | 11,271 |
| 2005 | 8,708.9 | 89.1% | 11,110 |
| 2006 | 8,403.3 | 85.9% | 11,114 |
| 2007 | 8,575.7 | 87.7% | 11,164 |
| 2008 | 8,262.3 | 84.3% | 11,062 |
| 2009 | 9,134 | 91.2% | 10,952 |
| 2010 | 8,699.7 | 87.6% | 10,738 |
| 2011 | 8,536.1 | 85.3% | 10,722 |
| 2012 | 9,227.9 | 92.2% | 10,517 |
| 2013 | 8,836.8 | 88.3% | 10,511 |
| 2014 | 8,880.8 | 88.6% | 10,527 |
| 2015 | 8,834.2 | 88.2% | 10,551 |
| 2016 | 8,104 | 80.7% | 9,934 |
| 2017 | 7,949.5 | 78.7% | 9,922 |
| 2018 | 9,130.8 | 90.4% | 9,928 |
| 2019 | 8,192.6 | 81.2% | 9,950 |
| 2020 | 8,217.8 | 81.2% | 9,927 |
| 2021 | 8,971 | 89.0% | 9,942 |
| 2022 | 8,385.7 | 83.4% | 9,941 |
| 2023 | 7,166.5 | 71.3% | 9,981 |
| 2024 | 8,258.6 | 81.9% | 10,001 |
| 2025 | 8,238.1 | 81.9% | 9,972 |
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 Steam Coal | ST | 604.8 | 568.3 | Jun 1979 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 604.8 | 573.9 | Sep 1980 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 4 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 3 | 3 | Feb 2016 | Operating (Standby / backup) | — | coming soon |
| 5 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 3 | 3 | Jan 2016 | Operating (Standby / backup) | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 2 | 3 | Jun 1979 | Retired Jan 2016 | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Rainbow Energy Center. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Rainbow Energy Center | 100.0% | 1,216 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Leland Olds | 656 MW | 16.4 km |
| Garrison | 583 MW | 23.1 km |
| FPL Energy Oliver Wind I LLC | 51 MW | 25.2 km |
| FPL Energy Oliver Wind II LLC | 48 MW | 25.2 km |
| Milton R Young | 734 MW | 34.9 km |
| Red Butte Wind | — | 42.4 km |