Sherburne County Generating Station

Sherburne County Generating Station
The Sherco power plant in Becker, Minnesota. The three generator units are on the left.
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationSherburne County, Minnesota
Coordinates45°22′43″N 93°53′48″W / 45.3787°N 93.8966°W / 45.3787; -93.8966
StatusOperational
Commission dateUnit 1: 1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Unit 2: 1977; 47 years ago (1977)
Unit 3: 1987; 37 years ago (1987)
Decommission dateUnit 2: December 31, 2023 (2023-12-31)
OwnerNorthern States Power Company
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Power generation
Nameplate capacity2238 MW
[edit on Wikidata]

The Sherburne County Generating Station, also known as Sherco, is a large coal-fired power plant on the banks of the Mississippi River in Becker, Minnesota, which is in Sherburne County. Its three units have a combined capacity of 2,238 megawatts,[1] making it the largest power plant in the state.[2] In comparison, the single-unit Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant located less than four miles away has an output of 671 MW.[3] The state's other nuclear power plant, the 2-unit Prairie Island facility, is rated at 1,096 MW,[4][5] so Sherco has a larger peak output than those plants put together. The station uses 20,000[2][6] to 30,000[1] tons of coal per day. The BNSF Railway delivers up to three 115-car trains per day from mines in the Powder River Basin.

In addition to generating electricity, some steam is also sent from the plant to a nearby paper plant, Liberty Paper Incorporated. The power plant has a normal staff of about 350 people, but up to 800 more employees are on site when the generating units are shut down and undergoing maintenance. The city borders of Becker extend around the plant, making the town heavily dependent on the plant for property tax revenue. The plant's annual $4 million property tax bill covers about 75% of the total for the city of about 4,600 people.[7]

The plant was initially constructed by Northern States Power Company (NSP), now a subsidiary of Xcel Energy. Units 1 and 2, which each have a capacity of 680 MW, came online in 1976 and 1977, respectively. The plant is still mostly owned by NSP/Xcel, although Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency has a 41 percent stake in the 876-MW Unit 3, which was built from 1983 to 1987 at a cost of about $1 billion.[8]

Unit 2 was shut down on New Year's Eve in 2023.[9]

  1. ^ a b "Sherburne County (Sherco) Generating Station". Xcel Energy. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  2. ^ a b Drew Kerr (October 2, 2012). "Xcel stands behind Sherco plant". Finance & Commerce. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  3. ^ "Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, Unit 1". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. September 14, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  4. ^ "Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Unit 1". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. March 29, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  5. ^ "Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Unit 2". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. March 29, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  6. ^ "Sherco power plant repairs may take 16 months, cost $200 million". Star Tribune.
  7. ^ Bob Boogren (2015-09-19). "Sherco serves as heart of Becker area's economy". SCTimes. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  8. ^ "Sherburne County Generation Station". Star Tribune. October 2, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  9. ^ Orenstein, Walker (2023-12-23). "Xcel Closing First Unit at Sherco Coal Plant, a Milestone in Energy Transition". Star Tribune.