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188 MW Municipal Solid Waste (30 MW) + Petroleum Liquids (158 MW) operating in La Crosse, WI
188 MW
Nameplate Capacity
4
Generators
units
Hybrid (2)
Technology
Municipal Solid Waste + Petroleum Liquids
1940
Operating Since
Coordinates
43.8292, -91.2597
County
La Crosse, WI
Nearby Plants
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| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | — | — |
| Owner(s) | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | — | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
French Island Generating Plant is a waste fired electrical power station located on French Island in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Unit 1 and 2 are boiler / steam turbine units originally constructed in the 1940s operating on coal. They were converted to burn oil in the early 1970s. When oil became too costly, alternative fuels were used. Unit 2 was converted to burn waste wood in an Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Boiler in the early 1980s with unit 1 following in 1987.
Read more on WikipediaFrench Island is a 188 MW hybrid power plant located in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. The plant began operating in 1940 and is owned and operated by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota. The primary fuel source is petroleum liquids (DFO), but the plant also utilizes municipal solid waste as a fuel. French Island has four generators.
The plant operates within the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) balancing authority and the MRO NERC region. In the most recent year of data, French Island generated 59,484 MWh of electricity, resulting in a capacity factor of 3.6%. It is ranked as the 2nd largest of 2 plants in the state and 39th of 60 nationally.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
ISO/RTO
MISO
Market
ISO/RTO Member
NERC Region
MRO — Midwest Reliability Organization
Balancing Authority
Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. (MISO)
Grid Voltage
69.0 kV
Regulatory Status
RE — Regulated
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Monthly net generation as reported to EIA-923 — useful for historical context. Confidence varies sharply by fuel type; the band above and the “About this data” button explain the caveats specific to this plant and how InfraSure’s in-house model handles them.
4.7K MWh
Latest Month
59.5K MWh
Annual Generation
3.6%
Capacity Factor
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CO₂ Intensity
1120 lb/MWh
NOx
5 lb/MWh
SO₂
0.529 lb/MWh
CH₄
1 lb/MWh
N₂O
0.193 lb/MWh
Capacity Factor
3.8%
Annual Net Gen
62 GWh
CO₂eq
1212 lb/MWh
Subregion
MRO West
2013
$3,495/kW
Est. Construction Cost
Total estimated cost: $657.0M
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Point of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
French Island Substation · 69 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
MISO
LMP Node
NSP FRENCH_G FRENCH_3_UNIT
Pricing Hub
MICHIGAN.HUB
Alt. Hub / Zone
MINN.HUB
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
No wholesale contracts disclosed in FERC EQR for this plant.
FERC EQR captures bilateral wholesale energy + capacity contracts ≥$1M/yr filed quarterly by jurisdictional sellers — covers renewable PPAs, thermal energy sales agreements, capacity contracts, and tolling agreements alike. Many plants don't appear: regulated-utility output flows to ratepayers via cost-of-service rather than bilateral contracts; small projects fall below the filing threshold; tax-equity-financed renewables route offtake to investors not utilities; merchant plants sell into ISO clearing markets without bilateral contracts. News-extracted buyer facts (below) may surface contracts disclosed only through announcements.
Last updated 2026-03-26
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