Frequently Asked Questions

The River Run Energy Center is a proposed combined-cycle natural gas-fueled generation facility planned for Mercer County, North Dakota. The project is intended to serve as the foundation for a multi-gigawatt data center campus.

NextEra Energy Resources and Basin Electric signed a memorandum of understanding in late 2025 which formally initiated joint development efforts.

In late 2025, NextEra Energy Resources signed a memorandum of understanding with Basin Electric Power Cooperative and their member cooperatives, Upper Missouri Power Cooperative and Roughrider Electric Cooperative, which formally initiated project development. Through this agreement, the companies began working together to explore jointly developing a natural gas facility that could help serve increasing demand from large-scale technology infrastructure such as data centers.

North Dakota continues to attract businesses and industries seeking reliable, cost-effective electricity and robust energy infrastructure. With a planned capacity of approximately 1,450 MW, the River Run Energy Center is designed to help meet demand from large-scale technology infrastructure such as data centers. As of March 2026, both the natural gas facility and associated data center are expected to provide more than $15 million in direct annual tax revenue to the local communities and create more than 230 direct good-paying operational jobs.

The project is being developed under the Large Load Commercial Program, adopted by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, which is designed to insulate the cooperative’s membership from the rates and risks associated with serving the data center. This structured approach allows Basin Electric Power Cooperative to responsibly support regional economic growth and emerging energy opportunities while creating long-term value for its cooperative membership. 

Both the natural gas power plant and associated data center are expected to bring long-term benefits to the local community, including over 230 operational positions and over $15 million in local tax revenue that can help support schools, roads and other public services. Importantly, these community benefits can be realized without concern for potential rate impacts to existing cooperative members. 

The natural gas power plant is proposed to be located in Mercer County next to the existing Leland Olds 345-kV Substation off Highway 200.

As part of our standard development process, we continually evaluate a wide range of potential locations for large-scale energy infrastructure across multiple locations. That process begins with a broad assessment of sites and is progressively narrowed down based on technical, environmental or community considerations. In general, we seek a site which minimizes impacts to the community while maximizing access to necessary infrastructure like pipelines and transmission networks. This location emerged through that evaluation as meeting these requirements.

Prior to construction, proposed facilities would go through extensive public reviews by numerous government agencies, with multiple opportunities for public input. While not an exhaustive list, required approvals typically include local zoning and land use permits, as well as state permits related to air quality, water use and site compatibility. These reviews help ensure the project meets all applicable requirements before moving forward.

Both NextEra Energy Resources and Basin Electric Power Cooperative believe in building strong relationships and supporting the communities our projects call home. Throughout development, there will be multiple opportunities, including public meetings, for the community to learn more and share input. In the meantime, a project hotline and email have been established so community members can connect directly with the project team.

No. We believe in an all forms of energy approach to reliably meet the surging electricity demand across the region. The natural gas power plant serves as a key component of this balanced approach, providing a low-cost solution for meeting the round-the-clock electricity needs of data centers. The natural gas power plant provides incremental generation to the coal plant and is intended to directly provide energy for the associated data center.

The total site encompasses about 150 acres with major equipment taking up a smaller portion of land. Additional temporary land may be used during construction for equipment staging and laydown areas. The plant is under design phase currently.

The River Run Energy Center is intended to serve as the foundation for a multi-gigawatt data center campus. To support this effort, NextEra Energy Resources has been securing option agreements on land in Mercer County for potential data center development. The natural gas power plant will provide energy to the associated data center.

A range of environmental studies and evaluations are conducted as part of project development to better understand site conditions and inform design and permitting. These typically include reviews related to natural resources, wildlife, sensitive habitats, and other environmental factors, with studies refined as project details are developed.

While not an exhaustive list, the natural gas facility would be required to obtain zoning and land‑use approvals from Mercer County as well as permits related to air quality and water use and discharge from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and the North Dakota Division of Water Resources. In addition, the project will also need to obtain a Certificate of Site Compatibility from the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

Prior to construction, the natural gas facility would go through extensive public reviews by numerous government agencies, with multiple opportunities for public input. While not an exhaustive list, the main permits required typically include air quality permits, water usage and discharge authorizations, and zoning or land use permits from county and state governance.

We employ best-in-class environmental stewardship practices to avoid, minimize and mitigate environmental risks. This includes conducting rigorous environmental analyses to ensure we take the necessary precautions and implement best practices to limit our impact on wildlife, sensitive habitats, and natural resources. We are required to engage with a wide range of environmental agencies to ensure the responsible development and operations of our facilities.

An adequate water supply is needed to support electricity production and to cool the power generating units. At this stage, we are still conducting a detailed analysis of water resources to determine the most suitable and sustainable supply. It’s important to note that we will undergo rigorous review by regulatory agencies before water appropriation is approved.

A combined‑cycle power plant generates electricity by burning natural gas to power a combustion turbine connected to a generator, while also capturing the turbine’s exhaust heat to produce steam that drives a second turbine for additional electricity. This dual‑turbine process allows the plant to use the same fuel source more efficiently and produce more power.

A natural gas facility typically includes gas and steam turbines that generate electricity, cooling systems that manage heat, control and operations buildings, fuel and water systems and electrical equipment that connects the facility to the power grid.

The natural gas facility will be designed to provide reliable, continuous operations to support round-the-clock electricity demand, with occasional downtime for planned maintenance.

A traffic analysis would be conducted as part of the state permitting process, but in general, you can expect increased truck traffic during peak construction periods. We are committed to avoiding unnecessary disturbance of residents by collaborating with local officials to coordinate traffic during construction.

At this time, the company expects construction on the natural gas facility as early as 2027 but that is subject to change based on the permitting process and required assessments that must be completed first. Typically, it can take up to 40 months to complete construction on a combined-cycle natural gas power plant.

A data center is the physical backbone of the digital world – a secure facility that stores and processes digital information. It supports everyday services people use all the time – things like online banking, medical records, streaming, cloud storage and business operations.

As more of our daily lives run online, demand for data processing has grown. That growing reliance on digital services has made data centers essential infrastructure, making continued investment critical to accelerating innovation in the United States.

North Dakota continues to attract technology companies because its climate and abundant power supply helps lower cooling expenses and energy costs for data centers.

Communities often consider data center development in their area because of the economic benefits they can offer by broadening the local tax base and supporting job creation.

By planning the data center alongside the natural gas facility, infrastructure needs can be assessed more efficiently.

Not yet. We are still in the early stages of planning with commercial discussions currently in progress. We will provide further updates as soon as additional information becomes available.

NextEra Energy Resources is securing land options for potential data center development with a footprint of up to approximately 1,500 acres. This allows flexibility in layout and design as commercial discussions continue.

Many planning considerations for a data center are highly dependent on the needs and design standards of the eventual customer. Until a customer is identified, elements such as layout and infrastructure requirements can only be considered in general terms.

The phased approach is based on common development patterns for large-scale data centers as well as the capabilities of the site and supporting energy infrastructure.

In this case, the data center and the natural gas facility are being planned together, which means the energy needed to support the data center would be purpose-built rather than drawing from existing local resources. This coordinated approach is intended to ensure that power demand is met reliably without placing additional strain on the broader electric system.

A typical development process begins with early site evaluation to understand what may be feasible at a particular location. If a site appears viable, additional studies and assessments are conducted to inform the design of the facility as it moves through the permitting processes. Each technology will seek separate permits. Once required approvals are in place, construction can begin.

The development of a natural gas power plant follows a systematic timeline to ensure these facilities can be delivered safely and on time. Right now, we are focused on conducting the necessary studies and assessments to inform the engineering and design of the facility. The regulatory process has multiple phases of review and approval from local, state and federal agencies. The full approval process can take a few years, but construction can begin with local, state and air permit approval. The natural gas plant could begin site preparation as soon as 2027 and reach operations by 2030.

The data center is still in the very early stages of planning as commercial discussions are ongoing. Additional details would be developed over time as those discussions progress.

The data center is expected to be built over time in a predictable way. This approach allows the potential customer the ability to plan ahead while giving communities the time to adjust as growth occurs. Right now, it is anticipated that the first phase of the data center could be operational as early as 2027 with final completion in 2030.

Wind and battery energy storage systems may be considered in addition to the natural gas facility because they can be developed more quickly to help support the early electricity needs of the potential data center. Together, these resources can provide flexibility while using reliability as the data center develops over time.

These projects represent a significant, long‑term investment by NextEra Energy Resources and Basin Electric in the local community, with total capital investment for both the natural gas facility and associated data center currently estimated at approximately $18 billion (as of March 2026).

The natural gas facility and associated data center are expected to create over 230 direct good-paying operational jobs and thousands of construction jobs as well as generate over $15 million annually in direct tax revenue for the local communities. Additional economic benefits will flow to the community through the purchase of regional goods and services from local suppliers and contractors.

Both the natural gas facility and data center will typically require a range of skilled workers during construction, as well as long‑term operational roles once the facilities are up and running, including technical, maintenance, and support positions.

Projects like these can help position an area for growth by attracting complementary industries, encouraging private investment and creating conditions needed for other businesses to locate and expand.

Basin Electric has been a partner with Mercer County for over 60 years, having donated over $700,000 to charitable organizations in Mercer County since 2018. Likewise, NextEra Energy Resources has donated approximately $700,000 to various organizations in North Dakota since 2018. Going forward, both NextEra Energy Resources and Basin Electric continue to be active and positive members of the community by donating and participating in local activities and causes. We welcome any suggestions on where we can be most impactful.