Cleanview

Hydro power plants in South Dakota

South Dakota has 4 operating hydro power plants with 1.6 GW of capacity.

  • Operating4
Sioux FallsRapid CityPierreAberdeen

Under 50 MW50–249 MW250 MW and up

Updated monthly. Last updated November 2026.

The largest hydro power plants in South Dakota

Operating, by capacity

#Hydro power plantYear onlineCapacity
1Oahe1963786 MW
2Big Bend Dam1966538 MW
3Fort Randall1956320 MW
4Spearfish Hydro19124 MW

Hydro power plants that came online most recently in South Dakota

Newest first

#Hydro power plantYear onlineCapacity
1Big Bend Dam1966538 MW
2Oahe1963786 MW
3Fort Randall1956320 MW
4Spearfish Hydro19124 MW
The developer behind each project is on paid plans. See plans

How Cleanview tracks hydro power plants

Operating hydro power plants come from the EIA's monthly survey of power plants. Planned projects come from the grid operators' interconnection queues. We research who is developing each one, since a queue lists a project company, not its owner.

Questions about hydro power plants in South Dakota

How many hydro power plants are in South Dakota?
South Dakota has 4 operating utility-scale hydro power plants with 1.6 GW of capacity, according to the EIA's monthly survey of power plants.
What is the largest hydro power plant in South Dakota?
Oahe in Hughes County, South Dakota is the largest, at 786 MW. It came online in 1963.
How many hydro power plants were built in South Dakota in 2025?
0 hydro power plants came online in South Dakota in 2025, with 0 MW of capacity.
Who is developing hydro power plants in South Dakota?
Interconnection queues list each project under a project company, not the developer behind it. Cleanview researches the developer of every project and has them on paid plans.

More energy trackers for South Dakota

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