Basin Electric planning new generation station in ND

The power supply will supplement local transmission lines which are already strained because of the required loads to fuel the oil industry.

Sidney Herald - November 19, 2011
Louisa Barber

Basin Electric recently announced a new generation station in North Dakota to serve growing demands for power from the oil industry.

The consumer-owned company is calling it the Pioneer Generating Station, which some thought would have been at Culbertson Generation Station. That station, located north of the town, opened two summers ago and was built to be able to expand if needed. Speculation swirled in recent months that the station was moved across the border into northwest North Dakota because of red-tape issues in Montana. The issue was discussed briefly during a recent legislative tour of oil-industry impacts.

Bismarck-based Basin Electric denies it decided to place a station in North Dakota because regulation process was easier there. "The reason we’re putting that in is really from a technical standpoint as opposed to a regulatory standpoint," spokesman Daryl Hill said.

The location for the station is near a large construction project where greater energy output is needed. The power supply will supplement local transmission lines which are already strained because of the required loads to fuel the oil industry. In short, northwest North Dakota has a greater need for electricity than northeastern Montana, at least for now.

"As a power supplier, our obligation to our members is to have a generation facility for generating power and transmission lines to meet the growing needs for electricity," Hill said.

The $60 million project, now in its preliminary stages of going through regulatory procedures, is money locals would have liked to see invested in Montana.

"I support more electrical generation facilities being built in our region. However, I'd obviously like to see them built in Montana," Rep. Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, said. Basin Electric has no plans as of yet for projects in Montana, including adding on the Culbertson station.

In addition to the generation station, Basin Electric plans to build a 190-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line around the western end of Lake Sakakawea, from Antelope Valley Station to Williston, ND, and on to Tioga, ND. "As we move forward, we are addressing the issue with a phased approach to avoid the possible risk of overbuilding the transmission system in the event the rate of growth diminishes," senior vice president of Transmission Mike Risan said in a press release.

According to the Bismarck Tribune, projections show that by 2025, demand for electricity in the oil patch will increase another 1,300 megawatts, or about one-fourth of all power produced now in North Dakota.