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Pioneer Generating Station

Gas power plant in North Dakota, United States of America. Approximate location 48.2325, -103.9528.

GasNorth DakotaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Pioneer Generating Station is a 293 MW gas power station in North Dakota, United States of America. It is operated by Basin Electric Power Coop. Based on reported annual generation of 507 GWh, it can supply roughly 144,828 homes. It ranks #985 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2014, it is around 12 years old — relatively modern. Its measured emissions of 260,040 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 60,615 cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

293MW installed capacity
507GWh reported / yr
144,828homes powered
260,040t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2014commissioned (~12 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0057881.

260,040 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

60,615passenger cars driven for a year
33,912homes' yearly energy use
4,334,000tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to US EPA GHGRP.

Reported generation trend

2013: 23 GWh20132014: 111 GWh20142015: 202 GWh20152016: 306 GWh20162017: 263 GWh20172018: 398 GWh20182019: 507 GWh2019507 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Basin Electric Power Coop. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 48.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.0°Cannual mean temp
4,563heating degree-days (base 18°C)
226cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
647 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -12 °CJF: -7 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 8 °CON: -2 °CND: -9 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 86% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 91/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #588 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 48.2325, -103.9528 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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