Blue Lake
Natural gas power plant in Scott County, Minnesota. 362 MW of nameplate capacity across 5 generators, operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota.
Also known as Blue Lake Plant · EIA plant 8027
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 362 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 5 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- June 2005First generator online
- Operator
- Northern States Power Co - MinnesotaEIA operator ID 13781
- Grid
- MISOBalancing authority MISO
- Price nodes
- 2 MISO nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Scott County, MN44.7855, −93.4315
- EIA plant ID
- 8027EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Blue Lake produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
435 GWh
434,752 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
Not reported
2024: 6.5%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
63.1–434.8
GWh a year. Low 2023, high 2025
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5,794 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 14,085 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 2,138 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 4,585 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 3,032 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 140,530 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 146,471 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 139,296 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 14,970 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 13,403 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 117,391 | 2.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 95,002 | 1.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 246,468 | 5.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 109,075 | 2.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 25,138 | 0.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 69,262 | 1.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 197,508 | 4.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 79,917 | 1.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 105,279 | 2.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 67,001 | 1.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 152,677 | 3.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 145,239 | 3.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 88,369 | 1.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 63,114 | 1.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 317,676 | 6.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 434,752 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | Not reported | Not reported | 0 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, 2024
Not reported
US short tons. 2023: Not reported
SO₂, 2024
2
US short tons
NOx, 2024
83
US short tons
2 of 6 EPA units reported CO₂ in 2024 (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8), matched to EIA plant 8027 through the EPA–EIA crosswalk.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSNo EIA cooling-water record for this plant in 2024.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 166.3 | June 2005 |
| 8 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 166.3 | June 2005 |
| BLL09 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 9.8 | December 2025 |
| BLL10 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 9.8 | December 2025 |
| BLL11 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 9.8 | December 2025 |
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.
300 analyst questions a month, plus MCP
Query Blue Lake and 14,224 other projects from Claude or your own tools. Free accounts get 1 question a day.
Power plants near Blue Lake
More plants operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
Questions about Blue Lake
How much power does Blue Lake produce?
Blue Lake reported 434,752 MWh (435 GWh) of net generation in 2025.
Where is Blue Lake?
Blue Lake is in Scott County, Minnesota, at 44.7855, −93.4315. It is in the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. balancing area (MISO).
Who operates Blue Lake?
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 Blue Lake start operating?
Its first generator began operating in June 2005, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Blue Lake?
Yes. InfraMap has MISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 2 price nodes linked to Blue Lake, 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
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page