Power plants in North Dakota fall into two broad groups: large lignite-fired stations that supply several states, and a growing number of wind farms spread across the prairie. Our directory lists 69 of them, from the coal country around Beulah and Center to the wind projects near Langdon and New Salem. Most are not walk-in offices. They are industrial sites run by cooperatives, investor-owned utilities or private developers, so knowing who to call matters more than knowing where to park.

Who Regulates and Operates Power Plants in North Dakota

Three kinds of organisations stand behind most plants in this directory. Rural electric cooperatives and their generation partners, such as Basin Electric Power Cooperative in Bismarck, Minnkota Power Cooperative in Grand Forks and Great River Energy, own many of the large stations. Investor-owned utilities, including Otter Tail Power Company, run others. The rest belong to independent wind developers, municipal systems and industrial customers, such as the cogeneration unit at the Mandan refinery or the sugar plant at Drayton.

At the state level, the elected three-member Public Service Commission does most of the oversight. Under the Energy Conversion and Transmission Facility Siting Act, North Dakota Century Code chapter 49-22, the commission issues certificates of site compatibility for large generating plants and high-voltage transmission lines. It also regulates surface coal mine reclamation, which matters because several stations sit beside the mines that feed them.

Air emissions and water discharge permits come from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. Federal agencies add another layer. The Environmental Protection Agency sets emission standards, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversees wholesale power sales and interstate transmission.

City and country experience this system differently. In Cass County, which includes Fargo, and in the Bismarck-Mandan area, most people deal only with a local distribution company. Xcel Energy serves much of Fargo, Montana-Dakota Utilities is the main investor-owned provider around Bismarck, and cooperatives cover most rural areas. The generating plants sit far from those customers, often next to a coal mine or on open ridgeline.

That split explains a common frustration. A billing complaint goes to your utility first. A question about a smokestack goes to environmental quality. A question about a proposed wind farm goes to the Public Service Commission and to your county commission.

Lignite Country: Mercer, Oliver and McLean Counties

North Dakota's baseload electricity comes mostly from lignite, a soft brown coal mined in the western half of the state. The densest cluster of stations runs along the Missouri River valley and the Beulah area. Mercer County has eight listings, including Otter Tail Power's Coyote Station on 13th Street Southwest in Beulah and two entries near Stanton and Hazen. Basin Electric's Antelope Valley Station and Leland Olds Station are also in this part of the state, which makes Mercer County one of the main centers of coal-fired generation.

Farther south, Milton R Young Station sits near Center in Oliver County. Minnkota Power Cooperative operates it, and our listing shows 701-795-4000, the same number attached to the Grand Forks entry at 1822 Mill Road. That suggests a company main line rather than a control-room number, so ask for the right department when you call.

McLean County also has eight listings. Coal Creek Station near Underwood is the best known and burns lignite from a nearby mine. The Baldwin Wind Power Plant at Wilton, in the same county, shows how coal and wind now share the landscape. Plants like these are major local employers, so county commissions and school districts in this region follow plant decisions closely.

Wind, Gas and Industrial Plants Beyond Coal Country

Morton County has the most listings of any county, nine, and they show the mix well. Bison 3 Wind Energy Center sits on 30th Street near New Salem, the Tesoro Mandan Cogeneration Plant is at 900 Old Red Trail in Mandan, and Glen Ullin Station 6 is farther west. Because Mandan faces Bismarck across the Missouri River, this is the easiest county to reach from the capital area.

In the east and northeast, wind dominates. Langdon Wind is in Cavalier County, Langdon Wind II is listed at Crystal in Pembina County, and Ashtabula Wind II is at Luverne in Steele County. American Crystal Sugar's Drayton site, also in Pembina County, is an industrial facility rather than a utility plant. Foxtail Wind near Forbes, the FPL Energy North Dakota Wind I/II plant near Edgeley and Tatanka Wind near Ashley fill in the southern tier of counties.

In the west, Brady II Wind Energy Center near Dickinson serves Stark County, and Lonesome Creek Station, a gas-fired plant near Alexander in McKenzie County, is listed with 701-223-0441. Williston, in the Bakken oil region, has its own listing too. A few entries, such as Grafton, Enderlin and Williston, carry short names taken from public energy records. They may point to a small generating unit or a utility site, so confirm the location before you drive out.

Proposing or Challenging a Plant: Steps for North Dakota Landowners

Large wind farms and generating plants must clear the Public Service Commission before construction. The process is public, and ordinary residents can take part. Here is how to get involved:

Projects below the state thresholds go through county zoning alone, so your county planning office is the first call when you hear about a new turbine array or gas unit. Commission staff in Bismarck can tell you whether a proposed project falls under state jurisdiction.

Power plant facilities in North Dakota include a mix of federal, state, and municipally owned generation assets that contribute to the region's overall electricity supply. North Dakota's energy mix and the number of publicly owned facilities reflect the state's natural resources, regulatory environment, and historical development of its utility infrastructure.

Power Plant locations are available in 44 cities across North Dakota. They are spread across 29 counties.

Areas with the highest concentration of power plant locations include Luverne, Wilton, New Salem, often reflecting proximity to water resources, fuel supply infrastructure, or industrial demand centers.

Residents of North Dakota who are customers of a municipal or public power utility can contact their local power authority for billing assistance, energy efficiency programs, and information about planned outages or infrastructure upgrades in their service area.

Power Plant by Counties

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Residents of North Dakota who receive electricity service from a publicly owned utility can visit or contact that utility's customer service office to learn about outage reporting, billing options, and energy assistance programs. For information about a specific power generation facility in North Dakota, contacting the state's public utility commission is often the best starting point.

Browse Power Plant by county across North Dakota to find the nearest location.

Planning a Trip to a North Dakota Power Plant

Distances in North Dakota are long, and most plants sit on rural roads well outside town. From Bismarck, the Mercer County stations near Beulah and Stanton are roughly an hour or more by car, and winter storms can close highways with little warning. Check the North Dakota Department of Transportation travel information line at 511 before you leave.

Coal and gas plants are secured industrial sites with gated entrances. Walk-in visits are rarely possible, so call the operator first and ask which department handles visitors, billing or community questions. Several database entries list only a company main line, and the Milton R Young listing at 701-795-4000 is one example.

Wind farms are easier to see. Turbines at projects such as Ashtabula Wind II in Steele County and Langdon Wind in Cavalier County can be seen from public section-line roads, but the land beneath them is private. Stay on public roads, do not climb fences or approach substations, and never touch a downed line. When you ask about a specific plant, bring the listing name and address from this page. Operators often use several names for one site, and a precise address saves time on the phone.

Local officials also help. County auditors and planning offices know which plants sit in their county, and the Public Service Commission in Bismarck can tell you whether a project holds a state certificate.

Frequently Asked Questions About Power Plants in North Dakota

The Public Service Commission is the main state body. It issues certificates of site compatibility for large generating plants and high-voltage lines under North Dakota Century Code chapter 49-22, regulates rates for investor-owned utilities and oversees coal mine reclamation. The Department of Environmental Quality issues air and water permits. Rural electric cooperatives are mostly governed by their own elected boards rather than by the commission, so a member concern about a cooperative plant often starts with the board or the annual meeting. Federal agencies, including the EPA and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, add rules on emissions and wholesale power.

Tours are not guaranteed, and policies change. These are secured industrial sites, so access usually requires advance arrangement with the operator's communications or community relations staff. Otter Tail Power runs Coyote Station, Minnkota Power Cooperative operates Milton R Young, and Coal Creek has changed ownership in recent years, so confirm the current contact first. School groups and civic organizations have the best chance. Expect a safety briefing, bring photo ID and wear closed-toe shoes. If a plant offers no tours, watch for public hearings or open houses that the operator or the commission holds nearby.

Call your own electric provider, not the plant. Most outages come from distribution lines rather than generating stations. In Fargo that may be Xcel Energy or Cass County Electric Cooperative, around Bismarck-Mandan it is often Montana-Dakota Utilities or a cooperative, and Otter Tail Power serves many eastern towns. Your bill shows the company name and outage number. Call 911 for a downed line or fire, and stay well back because any fallen wire should be treated as live. During winter storms, check the 511 travel information line before leaving home.

Watch for the legal notice in your county newspaper, then attend the Public Service Commission's local public hearing, which is held in the county where the project is proposed. You can also send written comments to the commission before the record closes. Be specific about distances to homes, noise, road damage, drainage tile or wildlife. Separately, your county commission and planning office handle zoning, building permits and road-use agreements. Cavalier County, home to Langdon Wind, and Steele County, home to Ashtabula Wind II, both host operating wind farms, so local officials know the process.

Morton County has nine listings, and Mercer and McLean have eight each. Geography explains most of it. Lignite seams in the west and cooling water from the Missouri River system drew the large coal stations to Mercer, McLean and Oliver counties. Steady wind on open prairie drew turbines to Morton, Steele, Cavalier and Pembina counties. Some towns, such as Luverne, New Salem and Wilton, top the city list because wind farms are recorded under the mailing address of the nearest post office rather than inside the town itself.

Call 811, the North Dakota One-Call service, before any excavation. It notifies member utilities so they can mark buried lines, and you should wait for the marks before digging. Wind farms and plants also run buried collector cables across farmland, so landowners with easements should check their lease for the operator's contact information. Overhead lines matter as well. Keep ladders, grain augers, irrigation pipe and loader booms well clear, and look up before raising any equipment. If you hit a line, stay away from it and call 911.