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NextGen Project

Basin Electric Power Cooperative is in the process of developing a base-load power plant to meet an ever-growing member demand.

In February 2008, Basin Electric’s directors voted to select a Selby, SD, site as the

U.S. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota (in front) paid a visit to Basin Electric's "preferred" site for its proposed base load NextGen power plant near Selby, SD. Kelly Suko, property and right-of-way specialist, shows Thune a map of the site.

“owner’s preferred” site. Selby is one of the four South Dakota sites being evaluated in the federally mandated environmental assessment process currently under way. The Western Area Power Administration is the lead federal agency on the project and will be developing an environmental impact statement over the next year or so.

Basin Electric has not yet elected to move forward with NextGen. Many factors will affect that final decision, including economics, regional transmission reliability and regulatory uncertainty. Ron Harper, Basin Electric CEO and general manager, said this is “just another step in a long, painstakingly slow process. There’s a lot of work yet to be done before a final site is selected,” Harper said.

Wayne Backman, Basin Electric’s senior vice president of Generation, said NextGen is part of Basin Electric’s overall power supply program to develop approximately 1,500 megawatts of electrical generating capacity over the next decade. “Much of the power produced by NextGen will be used in South Dakota,” Backman said. “Basin Electric serves every electric cooperative in the state, and they are experiencing rapid growth in the demand for electricity. It’s coming from all sectors – residential, commercial and industrial.”

The NextGen project would have a generating capacity of about 700 megawatts. “However, the technology for the plant has not yet been selected, which may affect its generating capacity,” Backman explained.

Project facts

Capacity:	Approx. 700 megawatts
Location:	"Owner's preferred" site near Selby, SD
Purpose:	To meet increased demand for electric power in eastern portion of service area
Technology:	To be determined
Project manager:	Myron Steckler
Targeted completion date:	2014

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The next step for NextGen