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Culbertson Station

Culbertson Generation Station

An approximately $100 million project, Culbertson Generation Station - a natural-gas fueled peaking unit located eight miles northeast of Culbertson, MT, is Basin Electric's first power plant in Montana.

Dedication ceremonies were held on Aug. 13, 2010. The station achieved first fire on June 16, 2010 and was successfully synced to the transmission grid on June 18. Performance testing was completed June 29. A 48-hour continuous run at full load was achieved in early July.

The unit is sited near a compressor station on the Northern Border Pipeline to use natural gas from Basin Electric’s subsidiary, Dakota Gasification Company, via the pipeline, to spin its turbine. Basin Electric is using General Electric’s LMS100® simple-cycle gas turbine to provide about 91 megawatts (MW) of power to the region. Fuel oil is not planned as a “back-up” fuel at this time, but - if required - the turbine is capable of being modified to use fuel oil at a later date.

Dick Shaffer, Basin Electric mechanical engineering supervisor and project coordinator, said that the peaking station will interconnect with an existing 115,000-volt transmission line operated by Western Area Power Administration. Dry Prairie Rural Water will provide project water requirements by constructing several miles of pipeline from one of its main lines to the Culbertson site.

Culbertson Generation Station is being built in response to the increasing loads of our member-consumers, including those in the Williston Basin.

Project update

• Dedication ceremonies were held on Aug. 13, 2010

July 2010

•  A 48-hour continuous run at full load was achieved in early July

June 2010

• Station achieves first fire on June 16
• Station successfully synced to the transmission grid on June 18.
• Performance testing was completed June 29.

September 2009

• All dry cooler modules have been set and construction of the combustion turbine site is proceeding.

June 2009

• Construction began June 29
• As a result of its independent evaluation, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) concluded that to construct, operate and maintain this project will not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment and the preparation of an environmental impact statement is not necessary. RUS has determined that this Finding of No Significant Impact fulfills its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act.

January 2009

• The Montana Department of Environmental Quality issued the final Montana Air Quality Permit for the project Jan. 21, 2009.
• Engineering is finalizing the design and working with a contractor on a proposal for installing the natural gas pipeline.
• The generator manufactured in the Czech Republic is in Searsport, Maine. Indoor and outdoor storage has also been located in the Culbertson area.
• Transmission line design is progressing. Civil Engineering is working with WAPA relative to tying into the tap site. Steel poles have been requisitioned.
• Purchase of the 20-acre tap site property is expected to be completed in January 2009.
• Dry Prairie Rural Water has installed a 6” water line up to the North side of the county road bordering the site.
• Proposals are being solicited for civil site work and for testing services such as soils compaction and concrete.
  

Related Videos

• Culbertson Generation Station construction
• Getting transmission ready to deliver Culbertson Generation Station power

Project facts

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