Basin Electric Power Cooperative recently broke ground on Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV, which will generate nearly 600 megawatts of reliable, affordable electricity near Williston. Pictured (from left) are: Travis Fucich, Burns & McDonnell; Jeremy Mahowald, Upper Missouri Power Cooperative; Todd Brickhouse, Basin Electric; North Dakota Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller; Gavin McCollam and Chris Baumgartner, both Basin Electric. photo Courtesy Basin Electric Power cooperative
Basin Electric Power Cooperative has broken ground on the largest single-site electric generation project to be built in North Dakota in 40 years. Named Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV, the project will build about 580 megawatts (MW) of dispatchable natural gas generation near the cooperative’s existing Pioneer Generation Station northwest of Williston.
The project will help support the growing power needs of the Bakken region.
Five electric cooperatives who serve the Bakken region have invested more than $1.1 billion over the past decade to ensure reliable, affordable power in the region, says Basin Electric Interim Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Todd Brickhouse.
“Similarly, Basin Electric has invested just over $1.1 billion in the region over the last 15 years,” he says. “If you look at what is being built at Pioneer Generation Station and include the major transmission infrastructure we are currently planning to build, Basin Electric will invest another $1.3 billion in the Bakken region in the next few years.”
Load forecasts show cooperatives in the Bakken region will require more electricity by 2025. According to the 2023 Basin Electric member load forecast, 92% of the distribution cooperatives Basin Electric serves are growing. Growth in western North Dakota and eastern Montana is attributed to oil and gas development and related ancillary services.
“Our electricity needs are day and night, every day of the year, and our power needs continue to grow. It’s critical that we have facilities like Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV to support our region,” says Jeremy Mahowald, general manager of Upper Missouri Power Cooperative, which gets 97% of its power from Basin Electric. “We applaud the wind development and all-of-the-above energy strategy, but the grid stability we get with a facility like Pioneer really can’t be beat.”
During the peak of construction on the $800 million facility addition, there will be 250 workers on site. The project includes two simple-cycle combustion turbines, each capable of producing up to 235 MW, a series of reciprocating engines totaling about 110 MW, and 15 miles of 345-kilovolt transmission, all to be in service by 2026. When operational, the facility will have employees on site 24 hours a day.
“When this project is complete, the entire Pioneer Generation Station site, with more than 800 MW of dispatchable generation, will be the largest natural gas-based plant in a radius that is bounded by Milwaukee (Wisc.) to the east, Denver (Colo.) to the south, Salt Lake City (Utah) to the southwest, and the Pacific Ocean to the west,” says Gavin McCollam, Basin Electric senior vice president and chief operating officer.
As the generation facility grows, Basin Electric intends to keep its promise of being a good neighbor, McCollam says.
“The people who live and work in this area are our members, and it’s our obligation to be good neighbors,” he says.
