Upon the completion of the plant's construction in 1947, it was the largest cooperatively owned power station in the world.

[1] Built as a baseload power station, the initial plant design had space for six coal-fired boilers.

Two 15-megawatt (MW) boiler units were installed by the time the building was completed in October 1947, though the plant was supplying power before the facility was formally dedicated.

[2][3] Building the station led the City of Alma to construct additional housing and a new school for the families of the incoming workers.

[7] In 1970, Wisconsin Attorney General Robert Warren sued the Dairyland Power Cooperative over the operation of Alma Station, saying the plant violated public nuisance laws due to air pollution from the burning coal and asked that pollution abatement equipment be installed at the plant.