WHEATON
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 300 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Chippewa County
- Operator
- NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1973
- EIA plant ID
- 4014
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 18.6 GWh
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 44.8854, -91.5158
WHEATON, a 300 MW Natural Gas power plant in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. Operated by NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA, commissioned 1973.
How WHEATON compares
With 300 MW of capacity, WHEATON ranks 17th among the 141 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Wisconsin and 10th of the 26 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 4.6% of Wisconsin's operating Natural Gas capacity and 1.9% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 458th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1973, it is newer than 58% of the 141 operating Wisconsin plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA, runs 18 operating plants in Wisconsin totaling 806 MW. It shares Chippewa County with 6 other operating plants, including ELK MOUND and JIM FALLS.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 194 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 300 MW). Net generation was 18.6 GWh in 2024.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is SEVEN MILE (161 kV), about 9.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by NORTHERN STATES POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 7 operating power plants totaling 212 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is ELK MOUND (71 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
WHEATON is a 300 MW natural gas power plant in Chippewa County, WI, operated by NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA, commissioned in 1973. Chippewa County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.3 of 5 at the 57th national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 81st 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.
Chippewa County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 81st | 4.3 of 5 | 33.4 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 2.4 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 69th | 3.8 of 5 | 2.4 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 66th | 3.6 of 5 | 2.9 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.39 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 51st | 3.1 of 5 | 0.75 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | 16.7 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 20th | 1.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.41 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Chippewa 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 Chippewa 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.