High Bridge Plant

Location: Downtown St.Paul, on the Mississippi River.

Plant Description: High Bridge is a combined cycle generating facility. A combined cycle plant produces electricity from two sources of energy: 1)Natural gas is used as a fuel in a combination turbine, similar to a jet engine; 2)Exhaust from the combustion turbine also is used to make steam in a heat recovery steam generator. Both sources of energy drive turbines and electric generators to produce electricity. Integrating combustion turbine and steam turbine technology provides an extremely efficient production process.  

Power Production Capability: 570 megawatts

Fuel Sources: Natural gas (MERP Project High Bridge page)

Plant History: Built in 1923 as a coal-powered operation, the High Bridge plant, along with Riverside in Minneapolis, once formed the hub of Northern States Power Company, a predecessor to Xcel Energy. The original plant was replaced with a new natural gas fired generating facility starting in 2005 as part of Xcel Energy's Metro Emission Reduction Project. The coal-fired plant was retired in 2007 and the new facility came on line in May 2008.

Interesting Features: High Bridge gets its name from the bridge that crosses the Mississippi River just yards from the plant. The plant site once was home to early residents of St. Paul-many of them immigrants, who settled in shantytowns along the river. St. Paul is host for the nation's biggest winter celebration, and in 1986 the largest ice palace ever built during the St. Paul Winter Carnival-constructed just down river of High Bridge-captured world-wide attention. Xcel Energy employees regularly participate in the festival and some have served on the winter pageant's royal count.

Environmental Highlights: The conversion of High Bridge from coal to natural gas significantly reduced all air emissions from the plant-particulates by about 92%, nitrogen oxide by almost 97%,sulfur dioxide by 99% and 100% of mercury emissions.

High Bridge also has been a major sponsor and participant in the Mississippi riverfront greening project in downtown St.Paul that involved the planting of hundreds of trees and shrubs. And it has been a participant with several other Xcel Energy plants in a successful peregrine falcon restoration effort. The falcon nest box that once was on the old plant stack has been successfully relocated to Archer-Midland-Daniels facility just a mile down Shepard Road.

Community Involvement: Located in the heart of downtown St. Paul, High Bridge and its employees are very active in the community. Employees deliver Meals on Wheels, volunteer at local schools, participate in the city’s annual cleanup of Cherokee Park across the river from the plant, and support United Way and other community organizations. High Bridge employs 46 people, and property taxes on the plant benefit the city, county and school system.

Contact Information:

• Plant Information and Tour Requests — 1-800-895-4999
• Media Inquiries — 612-215-5300