MANKATO ENERGY CENTER
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 530 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Blue Earth County
- Operator
- CALPINE CENTRAL LP
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2006
- EIA plant ID
- 56104
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 2,715 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 42%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 44.1988, -94.0029
MANKATO ENERGY CENTER, a 530 MW Natural Gas power plant in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Operated by CALPINE CENTRAL LP, commissioned 2006.
How MANKATO ENERGY CENTER compares
With 530 MW of capacity, MANKATO ENERGY CENTER ranks 11th among the 215 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Minnesota and 5th of the 26 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 9.9% of Minnesota's operating Natural Gas capacity and 3.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 314th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2006, it is newer than 75% of the 200 operating Minnesota plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Blue Earth County with 5 other operating plants, including WILMARTH and POET BIOREFINING LAKE CRYSTAL.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 741 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 530 MW). Net generation was 2,715 GWh in 2024 (a 42% capacity factor), up 55% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2006 and 2019.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA, under 0.1 miles away. Another 8 operating power plants totaling 146 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is NEW ULM (79 MW, Natural Gas).
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
MANKATO ENERGY CENTER is a 530 MW natural gas power plant in Blue Earth County, MN, operated by CALPINE CENTRAL LP, commissioned in 2006. Blue Earth County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.7 of 5 at the 66th national percentile. Strong wind is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 95th 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.
Blue Earth County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 3.8 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 5.2 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 20.9 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 77th | 4.1 of 5 | 0.62 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 4.8 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 54th | 3.1 of 5 | 37.5 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | 0.32 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 4th | 1.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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.