The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) held a public hearing on June 30 in Williston, North Dakota, to discuss various aspects of Basin Electric’s certificate of site compatibility application for Bison Generation Station.
Bison Generation Station will be located on a 240-acre parcel near Epping, North Dakota. With two approximately 745 megawatt (MW) units, the natural gas-fueled combined-cycle power plant will produce up to 1,490 MW, making it one of the largest electric generation projects in the cooperative’s history.
The need for Bison Generation Station was determined through Basin Electric’s load forecasting and power supply planning process. This includes an annual load forecast, which is a cooperative effort among distribution members, generation and transmission members, and Basin Electric for its entire service area.
“Basin Electric’s 2024 Load Forecast highlights strong oil and gas-related growth in the Bakken region, in addition to growth across Basin Electric’s service territory,” said Benjamin Hertz, Basin Electric’s manager of power supply planning. “Bison Generation Station addresses the growing energy demands of member electric cooperatives, which serve a wide variety of traditional load sectors including agriculture, oil and gas, ethanol, manufacturing, and residential.”
Chris Bauer, Basin Electric’s supervisor of structural engineering and project coordinator for the Bison Generation Station, explained how the site was selected. “Basin Electric conducted a detailed siting study to determine the location of facilities by evaluating viable options for fuel supply, transmission interconnection, and available sites for generation to support the project’s scope and schedule while meeting local, state, and federal environmental requirements and minimizing impact to the local population. Basin Electric also conducted a detailed technology assessment to determine the most economical resource when considering capital construction, operations, maintenance, and fuel costs.”
With the certificate of site compatibility from the North Dakota PSC and the necessary permits in place, initial site grading is anticipated to begin as early as August 2025.
“Pending receipt of the air permit to construct from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, deep foundation installation is expected to begin in January 2026,” Bauer said. “The first unit is planned to be constructed by October 2028, then commissioned and tested with a commercial operation date (COD) in February or March 2029. The second unit is planned to be constructed by November 2029, then commissioned and tested with a COD in March 2030.”
Bison Generation Station represents a new flagship resource for Basin Electric’s membership. It will be capable of providing a long-term dispatchable supply of generation to the area, which can be delivered across Basin Electric’s service territory in the Southwest Power Pool.
“When complete, Bison Generation Station will provide a benefit to the area by allowing for reliable service to area consumers,” Hertz said. “It will also provide needed energy and capacity to meet Basin Electric’s membership obligations, including obligations to local members and the area’s oil, gas, and other growth sectors.”
The North Dakota Public Service Commission is expected to return its ruling in the coming weeks.
