Lonesome Creek Station Unit 6 goes commercial

An additional 45 megawatts (MW) of natural gas generation went online as Lonesome Creek Station Unit 6 began commercial operation on Oct. 18.

“Everything has been tested and commissioned and has now been turned over from construction to operations,” said Trenton Schwahn, Basin Electric senior electrical engineer and Lonesome Creek Station Unit 6 project coordinator.

Schwahn said the project experienced some delays due to material shortages and delivery delays caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic, the February 2021 winter weather event, and a shortage of electricians, but overall the project went well. The project came in under budget, but the most significant event was completing over 110,000 labor hours without a single lost-time accident.

Lonesome Creek Station Unit 6 is adjacent to the first five units at the site near Watford City, North Dakota. The plant’s total generation capacity is now 270 MW.