LELAND OLDS
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 656 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Mercer County
- Operator
- BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1966
- EIA plant ID
- 2817
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Net generation (2024)
- 3,061 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 53%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 47.3705, -101.8374
LELAND OLDS, a 656 MW Coal power plant in Mercer County, North Dakota. Operated by BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE, commissioned 1966.
How LELAND OLDS compares
With 656 MW of capacity, LELAND OLDS ranks 4th among the 40 operating power plants Bywatts maps in North Dakota and 4th of the 8 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 16% of North Dakota's operating Coal capacity and 10% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 142nd-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1966, it is older than 90% of the 40 operating North Dakota plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE, runs 6 operating plants in North Dakota totaling 1,648 MW. It shares Mercer County with 3 other operating plants, including ANTELOPE VALLEY and GARRISON RESERVOIR AND DAM.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 656 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional steam coal technology. Net generation was 3,061 GWh in 2024 (a 53% capacity factor), down 20% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1966 and 1975.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 1,934 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is ANTELOPE VALLEY (870 MW, Coal).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
LELAND OLDS is a 656 MW coal power plant in Mercer County, ND, operated by BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE, commissioned in 1966. Mercer County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.8 of 5 at the 95th national percentile. Winter weather is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 98th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a coal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Mercer County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 18.4 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | 2.5 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 1.6 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 87th | 4.5 of 5 | 0.64 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 66th | 3.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 64th | 3.6 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.32 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 40th | 2.6 of 5 | 0.43 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 36th | 2.5 of 5 | 29.7 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 6th | 1.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Mercer County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Mercer County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.