BEN FRENCH

How BEN FRENCH compares

With 135 MW of capacity, BEN FRENCH ranks 11th among the 28 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Dakota and is the smallest of the 2 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 23% of South Dakota's operating Coal capacity and 3.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 215th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1965, it is older than 76% of the 26 operating South Dakota plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, BLACK HILLS POWER INC, runs 2 operating plants in South Dakota totaling 175 MW. It shares Pennington County with 2 other operating plants, LANGE GAS TURBINES and RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH FACILITY.

Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 9 generators at the site with 110 MW of nameplate capacity (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 135 MW). Net generation was 7.6 GWh in 2024 (a 0.8% capacity factor). Its generators came online between 1965 and 1979.

Grid neighborhood

The nearest named substation is LANGE (230 kV), about 2.3 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by BLACK HILLS POWER, INC., about 0.4 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: LANGE GAS TURBINES (40 MW, Natural Gas).

Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology