Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV air permit issued, construction on track

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality issued an air permit on July 24 for Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV, a 600-megawatt addition to the dispatchable generation facility located near Williston, North Dakota.

Work is on schedule building the facility. Jim Lund, Basin Electric project coordinator and senior mechanical engineer, said site grading and deep foundation work is complete. He said the current focus is on the foundation for the area where the reciprocating engines and combustion turbine will sit. All foundation work should be finished by the end of summer, and all buildings should be erected and enclosed by the end of this year. He said the foundation work for the switchyard will begin in August.

In July, Basin Electric directors approved a budget amendment for the project. “The budget amendment was for funds to complete the project over the next two-and-a-half years. Up to this point, we’ve received funding to complete a majority of the engineering and procurement, along with initial construction activities,” Lund said. “Moving forward, our plan is to transition our engineer, procure, and construct contract with Burns & McDonald from a reimbursable to a firm price contract to ensure that they will maintain the project schedule and to minimize Basin Electric’s cost risk.”

The reciprocating engines should be online in the first quarter of 2025, the first combustion turbine online in the second quarter of 2025, and the second combustion turbine online in the third quarter of 2025.