Williams County commissioners to financially support new power plant
Officials at Basin Electric say the proposed Bison Generation Station between Epping and Ray will help keep up with an ever-growing need for electricity.(KUMV)
By
Michael Anthony
Published: Aug. 26, 2025 at 1:53 PM CDT|Updated: 3 hours ago
WILLISTON, N.D. (KUMV) - A new power plant near Ray is going to cost Basin Electric Power Cooperative nearly $4 billion.
Officials say they are using a number of methods to finance it, including having Williams County provide a tax-exempt revenue bond.
Commissioners voted to approve their intent to loan the proceeds of the bond to reimburse some of the costs of the Bison Generation Station. Century code allows Williams County to provide a maximum of $400 million.
Officials say this can help lower some of the interest costs and reduce possible rate hikes.
“At the end of the day, if we don’t do this, you just have to pass this along to the end user. That’s what drew me to being able to say we’ll help the people in Williams County by doing this project,” said Cory Hanson, Williams County Commission chairman.
The Bison Generation Station will create nearly 1,400 megawatts of power through natural gas.
It’s expected to be fully operational in 2030.
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I would have to assume there will be more as these data centers are built.