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Leland Olds Station

The Leland Olds Station Unit 1 (left) was Basin Electric's first generating station.

Leland Olds Station is Basin Electric’s first power plant. The station was named for former Federal Power Commission chairman, Leland Olds. When Leland Olds Station Unit 1 went on-line in January 1966, it was the largest lignite-based power plant (216 megawatts) in the Western Hemisphere.

Leland Olds Station Unit 2, a 440-megawatt unit located adjacent to Unit 1, began commercial operation in December 1975. 

The majority of electricity produced at the Leland Olds Station is sent to substations near Fort Thompson and Watertown, SD, for delivery to Basin Electric’s member systems. The station is located four miles southeast of Stanton, ND, along the Missouri River. 

The Leland Olds Station is the only power plant in North Dakota that uses a “v-slot” coal unloading system. This v-shaped hopper and enclosure automatically unloads six rail cars at a time. It takes about one hour to unload a 60-car train. 

 Station facts

• Fuel consumption: 3.3 million tons of lignite produced at the Freedom Mine
• Water usage: 230,000 gallons per minute
• Steam temperature: 1,005 degrees Fahrenheit

Unit 1

• 290,000 horsepower
  Construction costs: $36 million

 Unit 2

• 590,000 horsepower
• Construction costs: $109 million
   

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• Leland Olds Station
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Contact information

Leland Olds Station
3901 Highway 200A
Stanton, ND 58571-9417
Tel: 701.745.3371