How Coal Production Affects the People of North Dakota

• North Dakota lignite provides low-cost electricity to people in every part of the state.
  • According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, North Dakota has some of the lowest-cost electricity for residential use, ranking 46^th out of 51 (50 states plus the District of Columbia).
    • The average North Dakota residential electricity price was 10.30 cents per kilowatt hour; the national average was 12.75 cents (2016).
    • Low-cost electricity helps farmers, ag processors and manufacturers because it lowers their operating expenses allowing them to achieve higher profits.
  • North Dakota produces nearly three times the amount of electricity as is used within the state.
    • Over 2 million consumers and businesses in the Upper Midwest use electricity generated from North Dakota lignite.
    • The sale of electricity benefits all North Dakotans.

TSM Linemen: Basin Electric Power Cooperative Linemen work on a high-voltage transmission line from a bucket truck. Photo courtesy of Basin Electric. Power Workers – A power plant operator monitors equipment. Photo courtesy of Great River Energy.

• Over the past 40 years, the state of North Dakota has received more than 1 billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) in tax money from the lignite industry.
  • In 2015, lignite companies paid an estimated $100 million in taxes to the state.
• Opportunities are wide open for young people to choose careers in the lignite industry.
  • About 15,000 people have jobs related to the lignite industry in North Dakota.
  • People in the lignite industry earn some of the highest wages in the state.
    • Oliver and Mercer Counties (home to three coal mines and five power plants) are among the top counties with the highest average wages in the state.
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  Students at Bismarck State College: learn how to operate technical equipment for a career in Power Plant Operations. Photo courtesy of Bismarck State College National Energy Center of Excellence.
  Energy courses and training programs are offered at several North Dakota colleges and universities including those at Bismarck, Minot, Fort Yates, Devils Lake, Wahpeton, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Williston.

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