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110 MW Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine (100 MW) + Petroleum Liquids (10 MW) operating in Pennington, SD — Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region
110 MW
Nameplate Capacity
9
Generators
units
Hybrid (2)
Technology
Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine + Petroleum Liquids
1965
Operating Since
Coordinates
44.0872, -103.2612
County
Pennington, SD
Nearby Plants
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Black Hills Power, Inc. | Black Hills Power | — |
| Owner(s) | Black Hills Power, Inc. | Black Hills | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
The Ben French plant, located in Pennington County, South Dakota, has a total capacity of 110 MW across 9 generators. The plant began operating in 1965 and is owned by Black Hills, with Black Hills Power, Inc. serving as the operator. The primary fuel source is distillate fuel oil (DFO), and the plant utilizes both natural gas-fired combustion turbine and petroleum liquids technologies, classifying it as a hybrid facility.
The plant operates within the Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region balancing authority and the WECC NERC region. In terms of size, the Ben French plant ranks 3rd out of 3 plants in South Dakota and 59th out of 60 nationally. The latest annual generation data indicates an output of 20,003 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 2.1%.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Grid Region
Mountain West
Market
Bilateral Market
NERC Region
WECC — Western Electricity Coordinating Council
Balancing Authority
2.0K MWh
Latest Month
20.0K MWh
Annual Generation
2.1%
Capacity Factor
CO₂ Intensity
2631 lb/MWh
Low-utilization plant — per-MWh rate is dominated by startup/standby emissions; not directly comparable to baseload averages.
NOx
8 lb/MWh
SO₂
2013
$765/kW
Est. Construction Cost
Total estimated cost: $84.1M
This plant is in a bilateral market territory without organized wholesale pricing. Nodal pricing data is not available.
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ask pi about Ben FrenchWestern Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region (WACM)
Grid Voltage
69.0 kV
Regulatory Status
RE — Regulated
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
0.106 lb/MWh
CH₄
0.051 lb/MWh
N₂O
0.005 lb/MWh
Capacity Factor
0.3%
Annual Net Gen
3 GWh
CO₂eq
2634 lb/MWh
Subregion
WECC Rockies