Deer Creek Station (297 MW) | Elkton, South Dakota
Deer Creek Station is a combined-cycle power plant. The $405-million Deer Creek Station began commercial operation in 2012.
The power plant uses natural gas delivered via the Northern Border Pipeline and a 14-mile underground pipeline to the plant. Often, the gas is purchased from Dakota Gasification Company. Dakota Gas is a subsidiary of Basin Electric that produces pipeline-quality natural gas by gasifying lignite coal at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant near Beulah, North Dakota.
Deer Creek is connected to the electric grid by less than one mile of 345-kilovolt transmission line. The plant features two turbine-generator sets: one turbine fired by natural gas; the other is driven by steam. Both of the turbines are connected to generators.