World Power Plants

Knife Falls2.4 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Jul 2026

Knife Falls is a 2.4 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by ALLETE Inc. since 1921. Ranked #1148 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 2.4 MW represents 0.002% of the United States' total hydro capacity of 117,947 MW. The largest hydro plant in the United States is Grand Coulee Dam at 6,809 MW, making Knife Falls 2,837 times smaller. Nearby plants include Sappi Cloquet Mill (94.5 MW, Waste), M L Hibbard (72.8 MW, Waste), and Thomson (72.6 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in Minnesota, approximately 30 km southwest of Duluth.

Capacity
2.4 MW
Commissioning Year
1921

105 years old

Owner
ALLETE Inc.
Location
46.7266°, -92.4486°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 7,707. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #33,205 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #7,285 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

105 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

ALLETE Inc. operates 20 plants totalling 1,950 MW

Regional density

17 plants within 100 km, 504 MW combined

Nearest plant: Sappi Cloquet Mill (1.5 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 46.726600, -92.448600
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Knife Falls is a hydro power plant producing approximately 8 GWh of clean electricity per year with zero direct CO₂ emissions during operation.

Lifecycle emissions: ~24 g CO₂/kWh (manufacturing, transport, decommissioning)

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Hydro
Energy Source
Renewable
Country
United States of America
Continent
North America
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

United States of AmericaEnergy Profile

10,098
Total Plants
1420.7 GW
Total Capacity
GasCoalNuclearWind
Top Fuels

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