HUTCHINSON PLANT #2
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 91 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- McLeod County
- Operator
- HUTCHINSON UTILITIES COMM
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1994
- EIA plant ID
- 6358
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 1.4 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 0.2%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 44.8889, -94.3494
HUTCHINSON PLANT #2, a 91 MW Natural Gas power plant in McLeod County, Minnesota. Operated by HUTCHINSON UTILITIES COMM, commissioned 1994.
How HUTCHINSON PLANT #2 compares
With 91 MW of capacity, HUTCHINSON PLANT #2 ranks 36th among the 215 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Minnesota and 12th of the 26 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 1.7% of Minnesota's operating Natural Gas capacity and 0.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 699th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1994, it is older than 59% of the 200 operating Minnesota plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, HUTCHINSON UTILITIES COMM, runs 2 operating plants in Minnesota totaling 117 MW. It shares McLeod County with 3 other operating plants, including GLENCOE and HUTCHINSON PLANT #1.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 91 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly natural gas fired combined cycle technology. Net generation was 1.4 GWh in 2024 (a 0.2% capacity factor). Its generators came online between 1994 and 2001.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA, about 5.1 miles away. Another 6 operating power plants totaling 126 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is GLENCOE (41 MW, Oil).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
HUTCHINSON PLANT #2 is a 91 MW natural gas power plant in McLeod County, MN, operated by HUTCHINSON UTILITIES COMM, commissioned in 1994. McLeod County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.9 of 5 at the 72nd national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 90th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
McLeod County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 4.6 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 77th | 4.1 of 5 | 6.2 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 0.41 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 4.3 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 54th | 3.2 of 5 | 0.50 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 35th | 2.4 of 5 | 0.86 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 25th | 2.0 of 5 | 36.0 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | 18.1 |
Perils not assessed in McLeod 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 "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for McLeod 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.