About Great River Energy Great River Energy is a not-for-profit electric cooperative owned by its 28 member cooperatives. We generate and transmit electricity for those members, located in the outer-ring suburbs of the Twin Cities up to the Arrowhead region of Minnesota and down to the farmland region in the southwestern portion of the state. |
| General Member cooperatives: 28 Employees: Approximately 900 Headquarters: 12300 Elm Creek Boulevard Maple Grove, Minnesota 55369-4718 Phone: 763/445-5000 Fax: 763/445-5050 |
Financial Highlights (for 2009) Revenue: $787.8 million Total assets: $3.1 billion Electric plant investment (net): $2.4 billion Long-term debt: $2.4 billion Great River Energy share of taxes paid: Personal property and real estate: $16.0 million Generation tax (North Dakota): $6.9 million Coal severance tax (North Dakota): $3.9 million Payroll, sales and other taxes: $15.5 million Total taxes paid $42.3 million |
14,326,476 megawatt-hours
(11,846,365 megawatt-hours sold to members)
| Generation Capability* |
|
Coal Creek Station, Underwood, N.D. |
1,129 MW |
Lakefield Junction Station, Martin County, Minn. |
503 MW |
Pleasant Valley Station, Mower County, Minn. |
423 MW |
Stanton Station, Stanton, N.D. |
188 MW |
Cambridge Station, Cambridge, Minn. |
174 MW |
Elk River Peaking Station, Elk River, Minn. |
179 MW (online July 2009) |
Genoa 3, near LaCrosse, Wis. |
166 MW |
St. Bonifacius Peaking Plant, St. Bonifacius, Minn. |
56 MW |
Elk River Station, Elk River, Minn. |
33 MW |
Rock Lake Peaking Plant, Pine City, Minn. |
21 MW |
Maple Lake Peaking Plant, Maple Lake, Minn. |
19 MW |
Arrowhead Emergency Generation Station, Colvill, Minn. |
18 MW |
Trimont Wind Purchase, Southwestern Minn. |
100 MW (nameplate) |
Elm Creek Wind Purchase, Southwestern Minn. |
100 MW (nameplate) |
Prairie Star Wind Purchase, Southeastern Minn. |
100 MW (nameplate) |
Wind Energy Purchases, Southern Minn. |
18 MW (nameplate) |
*Excludes power purchases totaling 92 MW (summer rating) from the Western Area Power Administration and other power purchases. | |
Transmission Assets |
|
| Voltage |
Mileage |
69 kV or less |
2,988 |
115 kV |
420 |
161 kV |
46 |
230 kV |
523 |
345 kV |
75 |
500 kV |
70 |
Total AC transmission |
4,122 |
±400 kV DC |
436 |
Total transmission line |
4,558 |
Total transmission substations |
105 |
The ±400-kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system delivers electricity from Coal Creek Station in central North Dakota to the Dickinson converter terminal near Delano, Minn. Availability: Since its commissioning in the late 1970s, the availability of the HVDC system has been better than 99 percent. The system has been one of the most reliable HVDC systems in the world.
Load Management |
|
| Load Type |
No. Controllable |
Space heating |
77,300 |
Water heating |
105,220 |
Air conditioning & heat pumps |
146,744 |
Ground-source heat pump |
1,364 |
Irrigation |
2,920 |
Curtailable commercial and industrial |
1,305 |
Maximum load management summer control capability: |
360 MW |
Maximum load management winter control capability: |
320 MW |
Member Co-op Summary
Number of member/consumers: 645,000
Sales to members: 11,846,365 kilowatt hours
Total distribution line: 87,000 miles
Average density: 7.4 consumers/mile
Distribution substations: 548
Combined annual revenue: $1.15 billion
Electric plant in service (net): $1.7 billion
Average kWh per consumer: 19,100/year
Distribution employees: 1,725
Systemwide load characteristics:*
Residential: 57.3%
Seasonal: 2.4%
Commercial and industrial: 40.3%
*Based on energy sales
More about Baseload Generation
Coal Creek StationLocation: Underwood, N.D.
Generating capability: 1,129 MW
Start of operation: Unit 1-1979; Unit 2-1980
Plant site: 3,370 acres
Lignite consumption: Up to 950 tons per hour;
7.5 million tons per year
Water source: Missouri River
Water consumption: Up to 14,300 gallons per minute; 15,000 acre/ft. per year maximum
Steam generators (boilers): Produce 3.7 million pounds of steam per hour.
Furnace size: 96’ x 43’ x 205’
Height of steam generator building: 295 feet
Chimney height: 650 feet
Turbine/generators: General Electric tandem compound reheat turbines with double-flow low-pressure sections; 18 stages; 3,600 rpm.
Generator is 22,000 volts. Stator and rotor weigh 500 tons.
Cooling towers: Three cooling towers, each 42 feet high and
225 feet in diameter, equipped with eight fans with 28-foot diameter.
Electrostatic precipitators: Remove more than 99.5 percent of fly ash.
Flue gas desulphurization (scrubbers): Wet lime countercurrent spray towers remove 95 percent of SO2 from 75 percent of the gas.
Architect/Engineer: Black & Veatch
DryFiningTM system: In 2009, Coal Creek Station installed a coal drying system that reduces the moisture and refines lignite using waste heat from the plant. As a result of the moisture reduction an refining, efficiency and emissions performance are improved.
Location: Stanton, N.D.
Generating capability: 188 MW
Start of operation: Unit 1 - 1966; Unit 10 - 1982
Plant site: 250 acres
Powder River coal consumption: 2,500 tons per day
Number of boilers: 2
Number of turbine generators: 1
Chimney height: 255 feet
Transmission voltage (AC): 230,000
Location: Elk River, Minn.
Generating capability: 30 MW
Initial operation: Units 1 & 2 in 1951; Unit 3 in 1959
Fuel used: Since construction in the early 1950s, Elk River Energy Recovery Station has used multiple energy sources, including coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear, tire-derived fuel and wood chips. Since 1989 it has been converting the energy from refuse-derived fuel, a renewable energy source.
RDF consumption: 1,000 tons per day.
Landfill waste reduced: 300,000 tons per year.
CO2 emissions avoided: 140,000 tons per year.
Electrical production: 170,000 tons per year.
More about Peaking Facilities
Lakefield Junction StationLocation: Martin County, Minn.
Generating capability: 488 MW (summer)
Fuel source: Natural gas; backup, fuel oil
Turbine generators: Six combustion turbines manufactured by General Electric (6xMS7001EA)
Start of operation: 2001
Project site: 150 acres
Elk River Peaking StationLocation: Elk River, MN
Generating Capacity: 175 MW (summer)
Fuel source: Natural gas; backup, fuel oil
Turbine generator: One combustion turbine manufactured by Siemens (SGT6-5000F4)
Start of operation: 2009
Project site: 20 acres
Pleasant Valley StationLocation: Mower County, Minn.
Generating capability: 412 MW (summer)
Fuel source: Natural gas; backup, fuel oil
Turbine generators: Three combustion turbines manufactured by Siemens Westinghouse (2xV84.3A2, 1x501D5A)
Start of Operation: Units 11 and 12 - 2001; Unit 13 - 2002
Project site: 160 acres
Location: Cambridge, Minn.
Generating capability: Unit 1: 21 MW (summer); Unit 2: 154 MW (summer)
Fuel source: Fuel oil (Unit 1), and natural gas (Unit 2)
Turbine generators: Two combustion turbines, Unit 1 manufactured by GE (MS5001) and Unit 2 manufactured by Siemens (SGT6-4000F)
Project site: 23 acres
Location: St. Bonifacius, Minn.
Generating capability: 56 MW (summer)
Fuel source: Fuel oil
Turbine generator: Two aero-derivative combustion turbines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney coupled to a single generator
Location: Pine City, Minn.
Generating capability: 21 MW (summer)
Fuel source: Fuel oil
Turbine Generator: One combustion turbine manufactured by GE (MS5001)
Location: Maple Lake, Minn.
Generating capability: 19 MW (summer)
Fuel source: Fuel oil
Turbine generator: One combustion turbine manufactured by GE (MS5001)
Location: Cook County, Minn.
Generating capability: 18 MW
Fuel source: Fuel oil
Engines: Nine 2-MW Cummins emergency diesel generators
Start of operation: May 2009
Project site: 20 acres
Wind Energy
Trimont WindLocation: Southwestern Minn.
Purchase: 100 MW (nameplate)
Turbine: 67 General Electric (GE Wind) 1.5 megawatt wind turbines
Location: Southwestern Minn.
Purchase: 100 MW (nameplate)
Turbine: 66 General Electric (GE Wind) 1.5 megawatt wind turbines
Location: Southeastern Minn.
Purchase: 100 MW (nameplate)
Turbine: 61 Vestas 1.65-MW wind turbines
Other wind energy purchases: 18 MW (nameplate) from three Minnesota wind farms.
Location: Jackson, Dodge and Murray counties.
Program guidelines: Wellspring Wind Energy is sold to co-op members who voluntarily choose the amount of renewable energy they want to buy. Wellspring subscribers help to bring additional renewable energy resources online.
Participants: 6,628 co-op members.
Blue Flint EthanolA joint venture between Great River Energy and Headwaters Incorporated.
Location: Underwood, N.D.
Production capability: 58 million-gallon per year dry mill ethanol plant
Start of operation: February 2007
Heat source: Coal Creek Station
Corn consumption: 20 million bushels per year
