GROTON GENERATING STATION
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 189 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Brown County
- Operator
- BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOP
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2006
- EIA plant ID
- 56238
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 180 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 9.5%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 45.6178, -98.1035
GROTON GENERATING STATION, a 189 MW Natural Gas power plant in Brown County, South Dakota. Operated by BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOP, commissioned 2006.
How GROTON GENERATING STATION compares
With 189 MW of capacity, GROTON GENERATING STATION ranks 8th among the 28 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Dakota and 2nd of the 3 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 30% of South Dakota's operating Natural Gas capacity and 4.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 549th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2006, it is newer than 65% of the 26 operating South Dakota plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOP, runs 4 operating plants in South Dakota totaling 810 MW. It shares Brown County with 2 other operating plants, ABERDEEN CT and ABERDEEN PLANT.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 216 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 189 MW). Net generation was 180 GWh in 2024 (a 9.5% capacity factor), up 13% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2006 and 2008.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line owned by OTTER TAIL COMPANY, about 9.3 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: ABERDEEN CT (29 MW, Oil).
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
GROTON GENERATING STATION is a 189 MW natural gas power plant in Brown County, SD, operated by BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOP, commissioned in 2006. Brown County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.4 of 5 at the 60th national percentile. Winter weather is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 99th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Brown County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very High | 99th | 4.9 of 5 | 20.1 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 83rd | 4.3 of 5 | 3.6 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 2.6 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 0.37 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 65th | 3.6 of 5 | 3.9 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 65th | 3.6 of 5 | 0.80 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | 5.2 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 26th | 2.0 of 5 | 31.8 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Brown 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 Brown 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.