Prairie Island
Nuclear power plant in Goodhue County, Minnesota. 1,186.2 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota.
Also known as Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant · EIA plant 1925
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,186.2 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- February 1974First generator online
- Operator
- Northern States Power Co - MinnesotaEIA operator ID 13781
- Grid
- MISOBalancing authority MISO
- Price nodes
- 2 MISO nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Goodhue County, MN44.6220, −92.6333
- EIA plant ID
- 1925EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Prairie Island produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
8.56 TWh
8,557,409 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
82.4%
2024: 61.0%
January to July 2026
5.38 TWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
6.4–9.2
TWh a year. Low 2024, high 2022
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8,715,639 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 7,912,705 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 8,669,267 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 8,837,318 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 8,260,620 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 8,360,301 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 8,110,867 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 8,910,731 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 8,118,822 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 8,250,961 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 8,782,933 | 84.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 8,602,247 | 82.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 7,053,416 | 67.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 7,714,143 | 74.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 8,383,200 | 80.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 7,374,711 | 71.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 8,263,058 | 79.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 8,744,731 | 84.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 8,983,305 | 86.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 9,139,972 | 88.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 9,083,974 | 87.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 9,099,913 | 87.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 9,150,932 | 88.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 7,130,153 | 68.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 6,352,827 | 61.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 8,557,409 | 82.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 5,384,207 | 89.2% | 7 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free account · MISOEmissions
Free · EPA CAMPDNo EPA emissions units are linked to this plant.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSWithdrawal, 2024
153,517
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
9,226
million gallons
Source
Mississippi
Surface, Fresh. Once-through
Watershed stress
Low · 0.201
USGS SUI, HUC12 Lock and Dam Number Three-Mississippi River
12 of 12 cooling months report withdrawal. SUI of the HUC12 containing the plant. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear | 593.1 | February 1974 |
| 2 | Nuclear | 593.1 | October 1974 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists Northern States Power Co - Minnesota as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
Generation potential vs reported
Monthly potential at seasonal net capability, next to EIA-923 output. Shows how much of the plant's capability was used.
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Power plants near Prairie Island
More plants operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
Questions about Prairie Island
How much power does Prairie Island produce?
Prairie Island reported 8,557,409 MWh (8.56 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 82.4% capacity factor on 1,186.2 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 5.38 TWh, which is provisional.
Where is Prairie Island?
Prairie Island is in Goodhue County, Minnesota, at 44.6220, −92.6333. It is in the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. balancing area (MISO).
Who operates Prairie Island?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Northern States Power Co - Minnesota as the operator (EIA operator ID 13781). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Prairie Island start operating?
Its first generator began operating in February 1974, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Prairie Island?
Yes. InfraMap has MISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 2 price nodes linked to Prairie Island, with the hub price and node-to-hub basis. Prices are free with an InfraMap account; pricing node names are part of InfraMap Pro.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- MISO day-ahead and real-time prices; node and hub assignments as of 2026-10-05
- EIA-923 cooling water 2024 and the USGS surface water supply and use index, Water years 2010-2020 (Oct 2009 to Sep 2020), mean of monthly values
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page