Construction update at Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV

Construction continues at Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV (PGSIV), Basin Electric’s largest generation project being built in North Dakota since the 1980s. Following the arrival of the Unit 4 turbine and generator, foundations were prepped for equipment setting. On June 3 and 6, respectively, the turbine and generator were set on the foundation.

Other items in progress include:

• reciprocating engine exhaust ductwork and electrical cable installation;
• combustion turbine alignment, inlet and exhaust ductwork and auxiliary component installation;
• the 345-kV switchyard is wrapping up and commissioning started in late June;
• the Pioneer Generation Station-to-Judson transmission line work is ongoing and scheduled to be complete this fall; and
• a new fuel supply pipeline from the WBI Energy terminal to Pioneer Generation Station is scheduled to be in service early July.

“The project is maintaining schedule commitments,” Darrell Slavick, Basin Electric construction coordinator III, said. “Remembering that this was basically farm fields just a year ago, we have made some really remarkable progress. To know that several of these units will be on-line and providing reliable power to our membership by this time next year is both amazing and rewarding.”

Current in-service date projections are:

• Reciprocating Engine Units – March 2025
• Combustion Turbine Unit 5 – May 2025
• Combustion Turbine Unit 4 – August 2025

When complete, PGSIV will provide 600 megawatts of natural gas generation, addressing near-term load growth and long-term grid stability in the Bakken region.