Elk River Station employees work two years with no lost-time accidents
Elk River, MN (January 26, 2000) - Great River Energy employees at the Elk River Station waste-to-energy facility have worked for two years with no lost-time accidents. Forty-three employees work at the plant, which is operated around the clock. Elk River Station incinerates municipal solid waste in three boilers and converts this energy into 35 megawatts of electrical power.
“We at Great River Energy are very proud of our employees and thank each of them for this achievement,” says Wayne Hanson, Great River Energy manager of Minnesota generation.
According to Elk River Station Safety and Training Coordinator Gary Kleis, employees are aware of their surroundings and are trained how to safely work in these areas. Safety meetings are held each month, and employees are able to make safety suggestions. “We have a system that allows employees to voice their concerns regarding safety issues and have them addressed,” Kleis says.
Great River Energy is a generation and transmission cooperative located in Elk River. Its 1,600-megawatt generation system is comprised of a mix of baseload and peaking power plants, including waste-to-energy, coal-fired and oil plants, as well as newly constructed wind generation. Great River Energy provides electrical energy and related services to 29 member distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin, serving 500,000 members or about 1.5 million people. Great River Energy is a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative.
