Coal Creek
Coal power plant in McLean County, North Dakota. 1,209.6 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by Rainbow Energy Center.
Also known as Coal Creek Power Station · EIA plant 6030
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,209.6 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- June 1979First generator online
- Operator
- Rainbow Energy CenterEIA operator ID 65146
- Grid
- MISOBalancing authority MISO
- Price nodes
- 2 MISO nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- McLean County, ND47.3777, −101.1571
- EIA plant ID
- 6030EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Coal Creek produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
8.24 TWh
8,238,149 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
77.4%
2024: 77.3%
January to July 2026
4.33 TWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
7.2–9.1
TWh a year. Low 2023, high 2018
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8,753,886 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 8,512,582 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2003 | 8,892,579 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 8,475,101 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 8,708,890 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 8,403,311 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 8,575,700 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 8,262,292 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 9,133,982 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 8,699,715 | 81.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 8,536,104 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 9,227,879 | 86.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 8,090,260 | Not reported | 11 of 12 |
| 2014 | 8,880,798 | 83.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 8,834,166 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 8,104,001 | 76.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 7,949,503 | 74.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 9,130,818 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 8,192,593 | 76.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 8,217,791 | 77.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 8,971,018 | 84.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 8,385,747 | 78.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 7,166,536 | 67.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 8,258,614 | 77.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 8,238,149 | 77.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 4,326,624 | 70.0% | 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 CAMPDCO₂, 2025
9.74M
US short tons. 2024: 9.69M
SO₂, 2025
6,415
US short tons
NOx, 2025
6,044
US short tons
CO₂ per MWh, calculated
1.18 t
About 2,364 lb per MWh
2 of 2 EPA units reported CO₂ in 2025 (1, 2), matched to EIA plant 6030 through the EPA–EIA crosswalk. The per-MWh rate is EPA CO₂ divided by EIA-923 net generation. The two reporting boundaries can differ.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSWithdrawal, 2024
4,218
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
4,218
million gallons
Source
Missouri River
Surface, Fresh. Induced-draft tower
Watershed stress
Very low/none · 0.151
USGS SUI, HUC12 Weller Slough-Coal Lake Coulee
12 of 12 cooling months report withdrawal. SUI of the source river HUC12 within 3 km. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | 604.8 | June 1979 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | 604.8 | September 1980 |
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 Rainbow Energy Center 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 Coal Creek
Questions about Coal Creek
How much power does Coal Creek produce?
Coal Creek reported 8,238,149 MWh (8.24 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 77.4% capacity factor on 1,209.6 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 4.33 TWh, which is provisional.
Where is Coal Creek?
Coal Creek is in McLean County, North Dakota, at 47.3777, −101.1571. It is in the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. balancing area (MISO).
Who operates Coal Creek?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Rainbow Energy Center as the operator (EIA operator ID 65146). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Coal Creek start operating?
Its first generator began operating in June 1979, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Coal Creek?
Yes. InfraMap has MISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 2 price nodes linked to Coal Creek, 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)
- EPA CAMPD annual emissions through the EPA–EIA crosswalk, 1995 to 2025
- 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