Ben French
Pennington County, South Dakota · EIA plant ID 3325 · Operator: Black Hills Power, Inc. d/b/a
Nameplate110MWSummer 78 MW
Generators9in service
Net generation31GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor4%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate20,882Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1965Runs as rarely runs
The 12-month figures include preliminary EIA-923 months, which EIA revises. Final data runs through Dec 2025.
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 367 | — | — |
| 2002 | 172.3 | — | — |
| 2003 | 166 | 19.0% | 14,128 |
| 2004 | 149.6 | 17.1% | 14,443 |
| 2005 | 155 | 17.8% | 14,337 |
| 2006 | 147.5 | 16.9% | 14,697 |
| 2007 | 144.7 | 16.6% | 14,631 |
| 2008 | 123.1 | 14.1% | 14,803 |
| 2009 | 159.7 | 18.3% | 14,749 |
| 2010 | 133.4 | 15.3% | 14,938 |
| 2011 | 133.2 | 15.3% | 15,032 |
| 2012 | 96.2 | 11.0% | 14,972 |
| 2013 | 1.9 | 0.2% | — |
| 2014 | 8.1 | 1.1% | 20,439 |
| 2015 | 1.6 | 0.2% | — |
| 2016 | 6.3 | 0.9% | 20,928 |
| 2017 | 3.3 | 0.5% | — |
| 2018 | 1 | 0.1% | — |
| 2019 | 7.6 | 1.1% | 18,950 |
| 2020 | 11.9 | 1.7% | 18,386 |
| 2021 | 5.9 | 0.9% | 20,267 |
| 2022 | 3.4 | 0.5% | 24,950 |
| 2023 | 3.1 | 0.4% | 22,461 |
| 2024 | 7.6 | 1.1% | 19,099 |
| 2025 | 20 | 2.9% | 17,263 |
Fuel capability
Gas-fired turbines (CT/GT/CA/CS) that can also burn liquid fuel. EIA-860 Schedule 3 for capability, EIA-923 for actual burn.
StatusLikely still dual fuel
Liquid fuel burned · 36 mo5,816 MMBtu
Last month with liquid burnMay 2026
Switch while operatingYes
Net summer MW on gas68
Net summer MW on oil68
Time gas → oilup to 1 h (EIA 1H)
Time oil → gasup to 1 h (EIA 1H)
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 2 | 2 | Jul 1965 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| 2 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 2 | 2 | Jul 1965 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| 3 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 2 | 2 | Jul 1965 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| 4 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 2 | 2 | Jul 1965 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 5 | Petroleum Liquids | IC | 2 | 2 | Jul 1965 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| GT1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 25 | 17 | Jul 1977 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| GT2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 25 | 17 | Aug 1977 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| GT3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 25 | 17 | Jun 1978 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| GT4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 25 | 17 | Jun 1979 | Operating · retirement planned | Sep 2027 | coming soon |
| ST1 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 25 | 21.6 | Apr 1960 | Retired Mar 2014 | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Black Hills Power, Inc. d/b/a. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Black Hills Power, Inc. d/b/a | 100.0% | 110 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Lange Gas Turbines | 40 MW | 1.4 km |
| Wild Springs | 128 MW | 33.7 km |
| Spearfish Hydro | 4 MW | 64.2 km |