Big Stone
Coal power plant in Grant County, South Dakota. 450 MW of nameplate capacity across 1 generator, operated by Otter Tail Power Co.
Also known as Big Stone Power Plant · EIA plant 6098
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Key facts
- Capacity
- 450 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 1 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- May 1975First generator online
- Operator
- Otter Tail Power CoEIA operator ID 14232
- Grid
- MISOBalancing authority MISO
- Price nodes
- 2 MISO nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Grant County, SD45.3037, −96.5101
- EIA plant ID
- 6098EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Big Stone produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
2.03 TWh
2,029,575 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
51.4%
2024: 39.5%
January to July 2026
846 GWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
1.5–2.6
TWh a year. Low 2015, high 2019
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3,507,173 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 3,462,038 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 3,119,519 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 3,282,649 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 3,477,704 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 2,846,712 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 3,174,012 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 2,520,945 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 3,574,952 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 3,101,444 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 3,169,192 | 79.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 2,459,405 | 61.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 2,830,363 | 70.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 2,854,757 | 71.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 2,692,593 | 67.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 1,498,688 | 37.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 416,256 | Not reported | 2 of 12 |
| 2017 | 2,064,617 | 52.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 2,343,295 | 59.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 2,619,088 | 66.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 1,650,135 | 41.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 1,640,595 | 41.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 1,876,689 | 47.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 1,566,639 | 39.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 1,565,696 | 39.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 2,029,575 | 51.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 846,329 | 36.9% | 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
2.66M
US short tons. 2024: 2.21M
SO₂, 2025
857
US short tons
NOx, 2025
985
US short tons
CO₂ per MWh, calculated
1.31 t
About 2,618 lb per MWh
1 of 1 EPA units reported CO₂ in 2025 (1), matched to EIA plant 6098 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
66
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
1,029
million gallons
Source
Big Stone Lake
Surface, Fresh. Recirculating with cooling pond
Watershed stress
Moderate · 0.435
USGS SUI, HUC12 Outlet Whetstone River
12 of 12 cooling months report withdrawal. SUI of the HUC12 containing the plant. Cooling-pond plants report water circulated through the pond as withdrawal, so withdrawal is far above consumption. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | 450.0 | May 1975 |
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 Otter Tail Power Co 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 Big Stone
More plants operated by Otter Tail Power Co
Questions about Big Stone
How much power does Big Stone produce?
Big Stone reported 2,029,575 MWh (2.03 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 51.4% capacity factor on 450 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 846 GWh, which is provisional.
Where is Big Stone?
Big Stone is in Grant County, South Dakota, at 45.3037, −96.5101. It is in the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. balancing area (MISO).
Who operates Big Stone?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Otter Tail Power Co as the operator (EIA operator ID 14232). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Big Stone start operating?
Its first generator began operating in May 1975, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Big Stone?
Yes. InfraMap has MISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 2 price nodes linked to Big Stone, 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