Bison I Wind Energy Center
Morton County, North Dakota · EIA plant ID 57038 · Operator: ALLETE, Inc.
Nameplate82MWSummer 82 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation196GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor27%wind units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online2010
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), wind 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.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 10.3 | 37.5% | — |
| 2011 | 128.2 | 39.8% | — |
| 2012 | 280.3 | 39.0% | — |
| 2013 | 232.6 | 32.5% | — |
| 2014 | 269.8 | 37.7% | — |
| 2015 | 239.5 | 33.4% | — |
| 2016 | 268.8 | 37.4% | — |
| 2017 | 271.8 | 37.9% | — |
| 2018 | 228.7 | 31.9% | — |
| 2019 | 244.4 | 34.1% | — |
| 2020 | 257.1 | 35.8% | — |
| 2021 | 216.4 | 30.2% | — |
| 2022 | 220.7 | 30.8% | — |
| 2023 | 181.7 | 25.4% | — |
| 2024 | 165.9 | 23.1% | — |
| 2025 | 196.5 | 27.4% | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHS1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | WT | 36.8 | 36.8 | Dec 2010 | Operating | — | siemens SWT-2.3-101 |
| PHS2 | Onshore Wind Turbine | WT | 45 | 45 | Jan 2012 | Operating | — | siemens SWT-3.0-101 |
Owner / operator
Operator: ALLETE, Inc.. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| ALLETE, Inc. | 100.0% | 82 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Bison 3 Wind Energy Center | 105 MW | 0 km |
| Bison 4 Wind Energy Center | 205 MW | 0 km |
| Bison 2 Wind Energy Center | 105 MW | 0 km |
| Red Butte Wind | — | 11.1 km |
| Oliver Wind IV | 199 MW | 16.6 km |
| Glen Ullin Energy Center | 107 MW | 19.9 km |