Nameplate capacity
786 MW
Rank in South Dakota
#1
of 54 plants
In service since
1962
April 1962
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- USACE-Omaha
- County
- Hughes County
- Generating units
- 7
- Share of state capacity
- 10.25%
- Rank among hydro plants in South Dakota
- #1 of 4
- EIA plant code
- 3356
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 112 MW | 102 MW | 1962 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 112 MW | 102 MW | 1962 | Operating |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 112 MW | 102 MW | 1962 | Operating |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 112 MW | 102 MW | 1962 | Operating |
| 5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 112 MW | 102 MW | 1963 | Operating |
| 6 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 112 MW | 102 MW | 1963 | Operating |
| 7 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 112 MW | 102 MW | 1963 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in South Dakota
| Big Bend Dam | Hydro | 538 MW |
| Big Stone | Coal | 451 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 786 MW solar plant and a 786 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All South Dakota power plants · What South Dakota actually generates