It’s a change for Basin Electric Power Cooperative.
And it reflects increased power demand.
Effective November First, Basin will be under regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Basin spokesman Andrew Buntrock said it’s based on demand from the Bakken.
"Two of our member-owners -- McKenzie Electric Co-Op and Mountrail-Williams Electric Co-Op -- are both probably going to surpass the load growth of 4 million megawatt hours at that time," Buntrock said. "What that does is trip the trigger."
Buntrock said the two co-ops will also come under FERC regulation. He said Basin, as the generation and transmission provider, will also have to file with FERC. But he said outside of the paperwork, he doesn't expect it will change the way Basin does business.
"With 141 members, obviously, for 60 years we have been working as a family," Buntrock said. "That's a strength -- you have various opinions, and that gives us strength in numbers."
In terms of electric load growth projections, Basin said it appears McKenzie’s load will double over the next decade.
"In an effort to prepare for that, and to make sure we can meet those needs, we're looking at our forecasts to determine how we're going to supply that load," said Basin spokesperson Joan Dietz. "We're still in the early planning stages, looking at different resources."