Basin opens new power plant
The Montana plant uses the newest generation General Electric turbine to turn natural gas into electricity.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
- August 12, 2010
Originally broadcast by KXMD - CBS News
Watch the video at this link: Basin opens new power plant
For the first time in the company's history, Basin Electric Power Co-op has a generating plant located in Montana.
This afternoon, Basin CEO Ron Harper and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer helped christen the new Culbertson Generation Station near that Montana town.
The natural gas-fired plant cost some $100 million and uses natural gas from the adjacent Northern Border Pipeline to generate up to 95 megawatts of power.
The plant uses the newest generation General Electric turbine to turn natural gas into electricity.
Harper and Schweitzer say the Culbertson Generation Station is a big step for the company and the state.
(Ron Harper, Basin Electric CEO) "It adds to our overall generation portfolio of assets that allows us to continue serving our member owners whether they're in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, wherever they're at in the nine-state region."
(Brian Schweitzer, Montana Governor) "This is Montana electricity, produced in Montana, and sure we might just sell it across the border here and there but we've been buying a little electricity across the border. This is good for Montana, good for the region, and certainly good for northeast Montana."
The Culbertson Generation Station is what's called a peaking unit - designed to provide electricity quickly when a peak load is being reached on the Basin system.
Construction on the $100 million project began about a year ago, eight miles northeast of Culbertson.
Headquarters
1717 East Interstate Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58503-0564 USA
Phone: 701.223.0441
Basin Electric Power Cooperative will provide cost-effective wholesale energy along with products and services that support and unite rural America.
