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ND — Power Infrastructure Updated January 2026

North Dakota

Power generation, transmission, storage, and interconnection topics relevant to data center power supply in North Dakota.

MISO Natural Gas Wind Solar Storage Queue Bottlenecks Transmission Constraints

Overview

North Dakota is advancing a multi-billion-dollar natural gas baseload plant while permitting large wind and solar farms across the state. The most significant grid development is a planned 3,000-MW HVDC line to Montana that will bridge the Eastern and Western Interconnections. State planners have flagged transmission capacity as a critical constraint: a recent North Dakota Transmission Authority study warns that large industrial loads will trigger widespread voltage violations and line overloads without coordinated generation and transmission upgrades.

Generation Projects

Natural Gas

Basin Electric’s Bison Generation Station near Epping is a two-unit combined-cycle plant totaling 1,490 MW. The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the project in 2025, with unit 1 targeted for 2029 and unit 2 for 2030, at an estimated $4 billion total cost.[1][2]

Wind

Ørsted’s Badger Wind Project in Logan and McIntosh Counties has received a PSC certificate of site compatibility and is continuing permit modifications. The project is planned at 250 MW with 92 turbines and will interconnect to MISO.[5][6]

Solar

The Flickertail Solar Project in Richland County is advancing through PSC siting review. The 300-MW facility will occupy approximately 3,464 acres north of Galchutt, with an estimated cost of $375 million.[4]

Transmission and Grid

North Dakota is planning two major transmission projects to address capacity constraints and improve regional transfer capability.

The JETx Transmission Line is a 92-mile, 345-kV double-circuit-capable project between Jamestown and Ellendale substations. Otter Tail Power and MDU are seeking a PSC siting permit for the $406 million reliability upgrade, which will initially build one circuit with room for a second.[7]

The North Plains Connector is a 420-mile, 525-kV HVDC line with 3,000 MW of bi-directional transfer capacity, running from near Colstrip, Montana, to endpoints near Center and St. Anthony, North Dakota. The project is designed to connect the Eastern and Western Interconnections and enable long-distance bulk power transfers.[8]

Battery Storage

The Emmons-Logan Energy Storage project is a 140-MW, four-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed adjacent to the existing Emmons-Logan Wind Energy Center. The ND PSC is processing a siting permit for the $181 million facility.[9]

Interconnection Queue

A 2025 North Dakota Transmission Authority study assessed the impact of 600–1,400 MW of new industrial load on the state’s transmission network. The analysis found substantial increases in thermal and voltage violations, particularly on the 115-kV network in western North Dakota. Under large-load scenarios, the study projected 22–75 miles of overloaded lines during summer peaks and 75–198 miles during winter peaks.[10]

The study also noted that large loads consume energy otherwise curtailed due to transmission limits on the North Dakota export interface, and that congestion costs will rise without paired generation and transmission upgrades. Planners recommended earlier inclusion of large loads in RTO planning databases (MISO and SPP) to ensure upgrade needs are captured and funded.[10]

What to Watch

  • Bison Generation Station construction timeline: whether the 2029 and 2030 in-service dates hold and how the $4 billion cost is financed.
  • North Plains Connector HVDC permitting: federal EIS completion and final route decisions for the 420-mile Montana-to-North Dakota line.
  • Transmission Authority study recommendations: whether MISO and SPP incorporate North Dakota’s large-load scenarios into regional planning and upgrade timelines.

Sources

[1] Basin Electric Power Cooperative, “Basin Electric discusses Bison Generation Station during North Dakota Public Service Commission hearing,” 2025, https://www.basinelectric.com/News-Center/news-briefs/Basin-Electric-discusses-Bison-Generation-Station-during-North-Dakota-Public-Service-Commission-hearing (accessed January 8, 2026).

[2] Jeff Beach, “North Dakota green lights natural gas power plant,” North Dakota Monitor, July 2025, https://northdakotamonitor.com/briefs/north-dakota-green-lights-natural-gas-power-plant/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[3] Jeff Beach, “Smaller nuclear reactors spark renewed interest in a once shunned energy source,” North Dakota Monitor, July 3, 2025, https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/07/03/smaller-nuclear-reactors-spark-renewed-interest-in-a-once-shunned-energy-source/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[4] North Dakota Public Service Commission, “PSC Schedules Public Hearing for Proposed Solar Project in Richland County (Flickertail Solar Project),” March 10, 2025, https://www.psc.nd.gov/webdocs/newsroom/newsrelease/2025/3-24-25%20Flickertail%20Solar%20Project.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).

[5] North Dakota Public Service Commission, “Badger Wind, LLC — Amend Badger Wind Project, Logan & McIntosh Counties (Case No. PU‑24‑87), Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order,” July 31, 2025, https://www.psc.nd.gov/webdocs/case/24-0087/137-010.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).

[6] Ørsted, “Badger Wind Farm,” project page, https://badgerwindfarm.com/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[7] North Dakota Public Service Commission (via News Dakota), “PSC Schedules Public Hearings for Proposed Transmission Line (JETx Transmission Line),” December 29, 2025, https://www.newsdakota.com/2025/12/29/psc-schedules-three-public-hearings-for-proposed-transmission-line/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[8] U.S. Department of Energy, “North Plains Connector Project — Scoping Project Overview (EIS‑0568),” January 2025, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/scoping-project-overview-eis-0568-north-plains-connector-2025-01.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).

[9] North Dakota Public Service Commission, “PSC Schedules Public Hearing for Proposed Battery Energy Storage Project in Emmons County (Emmons‑Logan Energy Storage),” November 6, 2025, https://www.psc.nd.gov/webdocs/newsroom/newsrelease/2025/11-20-25%20Emmons%20Logan%20Energy%20Storage.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).

[10] North Dakota Transmission Authority (NDIC) and University of North Dakota EERC, “Future‑Proofing North Dakota’s Electrical Infrastructure to Enable Expansion in an Evolving Energy Landscape — Summary,” November 21, 2025, https://www.ndic.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Transmission-Authority/Publications/Transmission%20Capacity%20Study/2025-Summary-Future-Proofing-NDs-Electrical-Infras.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).