Blue Flint Ethanol located adjacent to Great River Energy’s Coal Creek Station. |
Other services and business ventures Part of Great River Energy’s success stems from our ability to provide a variety of services to our member cooperatives and other customers. We are also able to leverage our key assets and add value for our member cooperatives. |
Great River Energy is member-owner of ACES Power Marketing (APM), a 170-employee national energy risk management and trading services company headquartered in Carmel, Ind. APM acts as Great River Energy’s agent for energy market transactions, and provides portfolio management, risk management and other services. APM operates a North Regional Trading Center in Maple Grove, Minn.
Blue Flint Ethanol is a joint venture between Great River Energy and Headwaters Incorporated. The 50-million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant is located near Underwood, N.D., adjacent to Great River Energy’s Coal Creek Station. Production at the facility began in February of 2007.
Blue Flint Ethanol is unique in that it utilizes waste heat generated by the Coal Creek Station, creating a highly energy efficient operation. The project was recognized by North Dakota Governor John Hoeven as the state’s 2006 "Project of the Year".
Engineering servicesGreat River Energy provides engineering and technical services to cooperative and municipal customers through our full-service distribution engineering consulting and technical services firm, United Services Group (USG).
Fly ash is the lightweight, fine ash produced when coal is burned in power plants. As the fly ash moves through the power plants’ exhaust system, electrostatic precipitators collect the particles before they can be released into the air via the chimneys. The primary use for fly ash is as a portland cement replacement, but it’s also being used in scores of household products, including mortar, stucco, carpets, paint, shingles, floor, ceiling tiles and even some cosmetics. We even used our fly ash to build our Maple Grove, Minnesota headquarters facility.
Fly ash from Coal Creek Station is sold by our marketing partner, Headwaters Resources. Headwaters is the nation’s largest manager and marker of coal fly ash. The sale of the fly ash saves Great River Energy more than $1 million in landfill costs each year and generates more than $1.5 million in revenue. It also helps protect the environment by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the air during concrete production.
