The Daily Dig:
Basin Electric Power Cooperative has tapped PCL Construction to build the Bison Generation Station, a natural gas power plant in Williams County, North Dakota, near Epping. The facility is designed to meet growing regional electricity demand.
The project is a nearly $4 billion investment and includes two generating units with a combined output of roughly 1,470-90 megawatts. Pending regulatory approvals, Basin Electric plans to begin site grading sometime in 2025, with foundation work following in 2026.
Project Snapshot:
Project: Bison Generation Station
Owner / Developer: Basin Electric Power Cooperative
General Contractor: PCL Construction
Engineer / Design Team: Burns & McDonnell
Sector: Power generation
Fuel Type: Natural gas
Capacity: Approximately 1,470-90 MW (two units)
Estimated Investment: Nearly $4 billion
Location: Williams County, North Dakota (near Epping)
Construction Start: Site grading in 2025 (pending regulatory approval)
Foundation Work: 2026
Peak Construction Workforce: Around 1,000 workers (2027)
Permanent Jobs: Approximately 50
Target In-Service: First unit early 2029; second unit roughly one year later; commercial operations 2030
TheJobWalk Thoughts:
This is an early stage utility job worth paying attention to if you work long-cycle power projects. The GC and engineer are already named, which means the owner's moving from planning into execution, even if most trade packages aren't out yet. For sales and BD teams, this is the window that matters. Once scopes get published and the site opens up, you're already late. Projects like this move slow, but they move in a straight line. The ones who win are usually the ones who showed up before anyone asked them to.
