Basin Electric

What Basin Electric does

Basin Electric Power Cooperative, founded in 1961 and headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a not-for-profit generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative and the largest of its kind in the United States by megawatt-hour sales, member sales, operating revenue, and geographic footprint. The cooperative is owned by 138 member cooperative systems across nine states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, and others), collectively serving approximately 3 million end consumers across a 500,000-square-mile service territory. Core operations span wholesale power generation and high-voltage transmission, with revenue derived from cost-based wholesale power supply contracts with member systems and from transmission services within the Southwest Power Pool and across the U.S.–Canada border through a partnership with SaskPower.

The generation portfolio is an all-of-the-above mix spanning four coal-fired baseload facilities (Antelope Valley Station, Dry Fork Station, Laramie River Station, Leland Olds Station), natural gas combined-cycle and reciprocating engine plants (Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV, Bison Generation Station under construction, plus Lonesome Creek, Deer Creek, Groton, Culbertson, Wisdom Unit 2, Wyoming Distributed Generation), wind (Aurora, Baldwin, Brady, Campbell County, Crow Lake, Minot, PrairieWinds 1), hydroelectric from multiple U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation dams, solar (Wild Springs Solar), oil-fired peaking (Spirit Mound Station), and recovered energy generation. Transmission infrastructure includes a Common Use System, the SPP Upper Missouri Zone, and emerging cross-border capacity, supported by 31 Dynamic Line Rating sensors across 125 miles of transmission lines for real-time capacity optimization. Two wholly owned subsidiaries — Dakota Coal Company (mine-mouth coal supply) and Dakota Gasification Company (Great Plains Synfuels Plant) — provide vertical fuel-security.

The business model is a closed, member-owned cooperative: revenues pass through at cost, margins are returned as patronage capital (cumulative ~$1.5 billion historically), and members additionally invest through the Member Investment Program ($275 million outstanding). The member segment has been augmented by a Large Load Commercial Program designed to serve hyperscale data centers and industrial facilities while ringfencing cost and risk from existing members; ~300 MW of data center load is already being served. The cooperative is currently executing the largest capital program in its history — a ten-year capital expenditure forecast of nearly $11 billion (up from $1.4 billion in 2020) — including the $4 billion, 1,490 MW Bison Generation Station (groundbroken May 11, 2026) and a Class A rate increase of approximately 10 percent effective January 1, 2026. Funding is sourced through diversified instruments including an SEC-registered debt program, a recent oversubscribed $700 million public bond, and a $1.25 billion revolving credit facility, alongside partnerships with NextEra Energy Resources, Mitsubishi Power Americas, PCL Industrial, CoBank, CFC, and Bank of North Dakota.

Name

Basin Electric

Legal name

Basin Electric Power Cooperative

Website

https://basinelectric.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative, the largest in the United States, owned by 138 member systems across nine states serving 3 million consumers with a diversified coal, gas, wind, hydro, and solar portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Power Generation and Transmission

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

Keywords

• Electric generation services
• Power transmission services
• Wholesale electricity supply
• Rural electric cooperatives
• Baseload power generation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bismarck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Power Sales: Basin Electric generates revenue through wholesale electricity sales to its 138 member cooperative systems across nine states. As a not-for-profit cooperative, revenues are used to cover costs and invest in infrastructure, with any margins returned to members as patronage capital.
2. Transmission Services: The cooperative operates transmission infrastructure across its 500,000-square-mile service territory, providing transmission services to member systems and enabling power exchange between the U.S. and Canada through partnerships with SaskPower.
3. Subsidiary Operations: Dakota Gasification Company (subsidiary) produces and sells synthetic natural gas and other products from the Great Plains Synfuels Plant. Dakota Coal Company operates coal mines that supply fuel to power plants.
4. Member Investment Program: Members invest in the cooperative through the Member Investment Program, providing short-term capital borrowing from member cooperatives that helps support Basin Electric's financial strength and long-term stability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative that generates wholesale electricity from a diversified portfolio (coal, natural gas, wind, hydroelectric, solar, oil, recovered energy) and transmits it to its 138 member cooperative systems across nine states serving 3 million consumers. It also manages transmission infrastructure across a 500,000-square-mile service territory and operates subsidiaries (Dakota Coal Company, Dakota Gasification Company) supporting fuel supply and synthetic natural gas production.

Product overview

Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative providing electricity across nine states. The company's product portfolio is a diversified energy portfolio combining multiple generation sources: coal-fired baseload generation (Antelope Valley Station, Dry Fork Station, Laramie River Station, Leland Olds Station), natural gas-fired generation (Bison Generation Station, Pioneer Generation Station, Lonesome Creek Station, Deer Creek Station, and others), wind power through purchase power agreements, hydroelectric generation from multiple dams, solar generation (Wild Springs Solar), oil-fired peaking, and recovered energy generation. The cooperative also provides transmission services across its 500,000-square-mile service territory. Supporting programs include the Large Load Commercial Program for managing large industrial and data center loads, and the Member Investment Program for member cooperative investments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coal-Fired Generation
• Natural Gas-Fired Generation
• Wind Power
• Hydroelectric Generation
• Solar Generation
• Oil-Fired Generation
• Recovered Energy Generation
• Transmission Services
• Large Load Commercial Program
• Member Investment Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 3 million consumers through 138 member cooperatives across nine states
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PCL Industrial Construction Co.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 9 February 2026PCL Industrial Construction Co. selected as general contractor for Bison Generation Station, a new $4-billion natural gas-fired power plant in Williams County, North Dakota. The 1,490-MW facility will be North Dakota's largest power plant upon completion.
• NextEra Energy ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025Basin Electric and NextEra Energy Resources signed a memorandum of understanding to explore joint development of a combined-cycle natural gas generation facility in North Dakota with planned capacity of approximately 1,450 megawatts. The project would serve as foundation for a multi-gigawatt data center campus under Basin Electric's Large Load Commercial Program. Companies submitted application to Southwest Power Pool Expedited Resource Adequacy Study process.
• Mitsubishi Power AmericascoreTechnology or Integration · 21 August 2025Mitsubishi Power Americas manufacturing two state-of-the-art gas turbines for the Bison Generation Station at Savannah Machinery Works in Pooler, Georgia. Leaders from both companies participated in a formal signing ceremony underscoring their partnership built on collaboration, mutual trust, and shared commitment.
• Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024Carbon capture pilot project at Wyoming ITC near Dry Fork Station awarded nearly $5 million through Department of Energy. The ITC is a collaborative research facility where carbon capture technologies are tested using coal-derived flue gas.
• SaskPowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for cross-border transmission between Saskatchewan and the U.S. SaskPower is completing the Canadian portion of the transmission project while Basin Electric is the designated transmission owner for the U.S. portion. SaskPower will pay for transmission service across SPP covering the cost of the project.
• Mountrail-Williams Electric CooperativeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership on Springbrook substation project with Class C member headquartered in Williston. The partnership allowed for reduced costs and environmental impacts while building for future load growth.
• TDA ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch firm partnering with Schlumberger Technology Corp. on carbon capture system deployment at the Wyoming ITC test bay. Goal is to deploy system that could capture up to 158,000 metric tons of CO2 annually.
• Schlumberger Technology Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with TDA Research on carbon capture system deployment at Wyoming ITC test bay for pilot project testing carbon capture technologies.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Oglethorpe Power Corporation: Oglethorpe Power is a generation and transmission cooperative serving 38 member electric cooperatives in Georgia, with significant owned and contracted generation capacity. Directly comparable as a member-owned G&T cooperative operating across multiple fuel types with similar wholesale business model.
• Associated Electric Cooperative: Associated Electric is a G&T cooperative headquartered in Missouri serving six member distribution cooperatives and 51 member-owner systems across three states. Closely comparable in structure, scale, generation mix (coal, gas, renewables), and member-owned cooperative business model.
• Great River Energy: Great River Energy is a wholesale electric power cooperative serving 28 member distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and surrounding states. Comparable as a member-owned G&T cooperative with diversified generation including coal-to-renewables transition strategy.
• Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association: Tri-State is a wholesale electric cooperative serving 45 member distribution systems across Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming, and other states. Comparable as a not-for-profit G&T cooperative navigating member-owned cooperative dynamics and energy transition.
• Seminole Electric Cooperative: Seminole Electric is a generation and transmission cooperative serving 10 member distribution cooperatives in Florida. Directly comparable as a member-owned G&T cooperative, though geographically distinct, sharing the wholesale cooperative business model and member-driven governance.
• Minnkota Power Cooperative: Minnkota Power is a regional G&T cooperative serving 11 member distribution cooperatives in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Directly comparable as a neighboring Upper Midwest G&T cooperative with similar member-owned structure and adjacent service territory.

Emerging players

• NextEra Energy Resources: NextEra Energy Resources is the competitive energy subsidiary of NextEra Energy and one of the world's largest renewable energy generators. Basin Electric's MOU partner for the 1,450 MW North Dakota facility, representing an emerging strategic relationship that combines NextEra's renewable/scale expertise with Basin Electric's dispatchable generation footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Duke Energy: Duke Energy is one of the largest investor-owned electric utilities in the U.S., operating regulated generation, transmission, and distribution across the Southeast and Midwest. Comparable as a major electric utility with similar all-of-the-above generation strategy, though investor-owned and vertically integrated rather than cooperative-structured.
• Southern Company: Southern Company is a major investor-owned electric utility holding company with regulated generation, transmission, and distribution across the Southeast. Comparable as a large-scale diversified electric utility with coal-to-clean energy transition challenges similar to Basin Electric's portfolio.
• Xcel Energy: Xcel Energy is a major investor-owned electric and natural gas utility serving customers across eight Midwestern and Western states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Colorado. Comparable as a diversified utility with significant Upper Midwest overlap and similar generation transition strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Basin_Electric
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BasinElectric/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/basinelectric
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basin-electric-power-cooperative
• Instagraminstagram.com/basin_electric

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Basin Electric