GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - The possibility of a two-year setback for a planned power plant near here factored into Basin Electric Power Cooperative's recent decision to try out a new coal-burning technology in South Dakota instead of Wyoming, a spokesman for the utility says.

South Dakota had an advantage with its lower elevation and greater access to large volumes of water, according to Basin Electric and GE Energy, which is providing its patented integrated gasification combined cycle, or IGCC, technology for the project.

"The problem is elevation and water availability; elevation being one of the primary factors," Basin Electric spokesman Floyd Robb said.

Basin Electric has begun the permitting process for its proposed 385-megawatt Dry Fork Station plant north of Gillette. Basin chose for the plant a design that is a cleaner version of the one used in most of the nation's coal-fired plants.

Basin Electric officials said they could not switch to the IGCC design, which could approach zero air emissions, without a two-year setback in a federal environmental review under way.

"Sometimes these wheels will turn agonizingly slow. When we look at base-load obligations, we have to go with technology that can meet that deadline," said Daryl Hill, also a spokesman for Basin Electric, based in Bismarck, N.D.

Basin Electric officials also said GE partners are still hesitant to try IGCC higher than 4,000 feet and would like to have access to more water than is available in northeast Wyoming.

Robb said earlier that Basin still is looking at possible sites for a $1.5 billion coal-fired power plant - one in North Dakota near Stanton and two South Dakota sites. A decision is not expected for at least another year.