Ladysmith Dam
Hydro power plant · Rusk County, Wisconsin
Nameplate capacity
3.4 MW
Rank in Wisconsin
#178
of 278 plants
In service since
1940
January 1940
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Northern States Power Co - Minnesota
- County
- Rusk County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.02%
- Rank among hydro plants in Wisconsin
- #37 of 61
- EIA plant code
- 3986
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 1.6 MW | 0.4 MW | 1983 | Operating |
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 0.9 MW | 0.3 MW | 1940 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 0.9 MW | 0.3 MW | 1940 | 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 Wisconsin
| Johnson Falls | Hydro | 3.4 MW |
| LAC Courte Oreilles Hydroelect | Hydro | 3.4 MW |
| Little Chute | Hydro | 3.3 MW |
| Timberline Trail Gas Recovery | Other | 3.2 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 3.4 MW solar plant and a 3.4 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 Wisconsin power plants · What Wisconsin actually generates