MONTICELLO
OperatingNuclear power plant
- Capacity
- 685 MW
- Primary fuel
- Nuclear
- County
- Wright County
- Operator
- XCEL ENERGY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1971
- EIA plant ID
- 1922
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Nuclear
- Net generation (2024)
- 5,492 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 91%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 45.3340, -93.8492
MONTICELLO, a 685 MW Nuclear power plant in Wright County, Minnesota. Operated by XCEL ENERGY, commissioned 1971.
How MONTICELLO compares
With 685 MW of capacity, MONTICELLO ranks 4th among the 215 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Minnesota and is the smallest of the 2 operating Nuclear plants in the state. It accounts for about 37% of Minnesota's operating Nuclear capacity and 4.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 54th-largest of the 55 operating Nuclear plants in the database. Commissioned in 1971, it is older than 73% 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 Wright County with 2 other operating plants, MAPLE LAKE and DELANO.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 685 MW of nameplate capacity, all nuclear technology. Net generation was 5,492 GWh in 2024 (a 91% capacity factor), down 1% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 5 operating power plants totaling 2,770 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is SHERCO (2,469 MW, Coal). Within 50 miles are 2 mapped data centers; the nearest is Implex Minneapolis in Minneapolis, about 36.6 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
MONTICELLO is a 685 MW nuclear power plant in Wright County, MN, operated by XCEL ENERGY, commissioned in 1971. Wright County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.0 of 5 at the 75th national percentile. Strong wind is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 92nd percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a nuclear plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Wright County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 92nd | 4.7 of 5 | 4.2 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 87th | 4.5 of 5 | 4.2 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 79th | 4.2 of 5 | 6.3 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 0.51 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 0.71 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 55th | 3.2 of 5 | 17.1 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 35.4 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.54 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 42nd | 2.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Wright 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 Wright 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.