SPIRIT MOUND
OperatingOil power plant
- Capacity
- 135 MW
- Primary fuel
- Oil
- County
- Clay County
- Operator
- BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOP
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1978
- EIA plant ID
- 6092
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Petroleum Liquids
- Net generation (2024)
- 4.7 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 0.4%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 42.8977, -96.9906
SPIRIT MOUND, a 135 MW Oil power plant in Clay County, South Dakota. Operated by BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOP, commissioned 1978.
How SPIRIT MOUND compares
With 135 MW of capacity, SPIRIT MOUND ranks 11th among the 28 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Dakota and is the largest of the 6 operating Oil plants in the state. It accounts for about 64% of South Dakota's operating Oil capacity and 3.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 30th-largest of the 544 operating Oil plants in the database. Commissioned in 1978, it is older than 50% 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.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 135 MW of nameplate capacity, all petroleum liquids technology. Net generation was 4.7 GWh in 2024 (a 0.4% capacity factor).
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by WAPA-- WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION, under 0.1 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: YANKTON (13 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
SPIRIT MOUND is a 135 MW oil power plant in Clay County, SD, operated by BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOP, commissioned in 1978. Clay County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.7 of 5 at the 69th national percentile. Tornado is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 100th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to an oil plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Clay County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 100th | 5.0 of 5 | 0.35 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 39.3 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 6.6 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 15.4 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.95 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 6.5 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 4.0 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 59th | 3.3 of 5 | 2.1 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Clay 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 Clay 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.