GRAND MEADOW
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 101 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Mower County
- Operator
- XCEL ENERGY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2008
- EIA plant ID
- 56994
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 380 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 43%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 43.7182, -92.6847
GRAND MEADOW, a 101 MW Wind power plant in Mower County, Minnesota. Operated by XCEL ENERGY, commissioned 2008.
How GRAND MEADOW compares
With 101 MW of capacity, GRAND MEADOW ranks 30th among the 215 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Minnesota and 10th of the 78 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.8% of Minnesota's operating Wind capacity and 0.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 244th-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2008, it is newer than 80% of the 200 operating Minnesota plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, XCEL ENERGY, runs 14 operating plants in Minnesota totaling 7,978 MW. It shares Mower County with 5 other operating plants, including PLEASANT VALLEY and PRAIRIE STAR WIND FARM.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 101 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 380 GWh in 2024 (a 43% capacity factor), up 33% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line, about 0.2 miles away. Another 15 operating power plants totaling 1,393 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is PLEASANT VALLEY (468 MW, Natural Gas). Within 50 miles is one mapped data center, NP Rochester in Rochester, about 23.7 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
GRAND MEADOW is a 101 MW wind power plant in Mower County, MN, operated by XCEL ENERGY, commissioned in 2008. Mower County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.9 of 5 at the 73rd national percentile. Tornado is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 89th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a wind plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Mower County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 0.56 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 89th | 4.5 of 5 | 3.7 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 79th | 4.2 of 5 | 3.6 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 38.6 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | 4.6 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 19.4 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.65 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Mower County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Mower County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.