Great River Energy to add scrubber at Stanton Station
Stanton, N.D. (May 4, 2006) - Great River Energy recently approved the addition of sulfur dioxide (SO2) control equipment (commonly referred to as a scrubber) to Unit 1 of Stanton Station, a 188-megawatt power plant near Stanton, N.D.
A significant reduction in total SO2 emissions was previously achieved when the plant switched fuels in November 2004 – to subbituminous coal from Montana. Total SO2 emissions were reduced by about 70 percent at that time.
The proposed emissions control equipment will help bring the plant’s total SO2 removal capability up to 90 percent.
“The addition of a scrubber confirms Great River Energy’s commitment to improve environmental performance at Stanton Station, and is a positive step for both our company and for the environment,” says John Pelerine, plant manager, Stanton Station.
The addition of the scrubber will also ensure that Stanton Station meets requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regional haze rule. The power plant’s Unit 1 must implement best available retrofit technology within five years of when North Dakota receives EPA approval of its state implementation plan.
The first step in the process involves a design and engineering study. Then a timeline will be established regarding construction and operation of the scrubber. The goal is to install and operate the scrubber in advance of regional haze requirements.
Unit 1 is the original boiler, which started operation in 1966. The plant added a second “supplemental” boiler in 1982 that has a scrubber.
The addition of a scrubber on Unit 1 will allow the plant to use either subbituminous or lignite coal and still meet all stringent environmental standards. Great River Energy is committed to use subbituminous coal through 2009 under a five-year contract with Kennecott Energy Company.
Great River Energy ( www.greatriverenergy.com) is a not-for-profit electric generation and transmission cooperative providing wholesale electric energy and related services to 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin serving more than 600,000 members, or approximately 1.7 million people. Great River Energy is the second largest power supplier in Minnesota, in terms of generating capacity, and the fourth largest utility of its type in the United States.
