37th largest plant in North Dakota · 2794th nationally
Bison I Wind Energy Center is a wind power plant in North Dakota with a nameplate capacity of 81.8 MW. It generates roughly 181.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 17,306 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 25% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Bison I Wind Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Allete, Inc. |
| City | New Salem |
| County | Morton County |
| State | North Dakota |
| ZIP | 58563 |
| Coordinates | 46.98000, -101.55472 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHS2 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 45.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| PHS1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 36.8 MW | Operating | 2010 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Wind farms harvest kinetic energy from moving air using large rotor blades coupled to generators. Like solar, they produce zero emissions but vary with weather. Onshore wind capacity factors typically run 30–45%; offshore can exceed 50%.