WEST FAIRBAULT
OperatingPower plant
- County
- Rice County
- Operator
- XCEL ENERGY
- Status
- Operating
- EIA plant ID
- 1932
- Coordinates
- 44.2696, -93.2923
WEST FAIRBAULT, a power plant in Rice County, Minnesota. Operated by XCEL ENERGY. One of 255 power plants tracked in Minnesota on Bywatts.
Weather peril exposure
WEST FAIRBAULT is a power plant in Rice County, MN, operated by XCEL ENERGY. Rice County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.5 of 5 at the 87th 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 this plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Rice County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 4.7 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 89th | 4.5 of 5 | 0.44 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 6.3 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 79th | 4.2 of 5 | 4.9 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | 37.6 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.71 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 39th | 2.6 of 5 | 0.46 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 35th | 2.4 of 5 | 19.5 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 26th | 2.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Rice 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 Rice 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.