Great River Energy makes positive contribution to surrounding communities
Elk River, MN (January 26, 1999) - Great River Energy’s Elk River Station has made a positive contribution to the surrounding communities by effectively utilizing a renewable and previously wasted energy source --refuse.
“Elk River Station employees’ efforts continue to have a positive impact on the surrounding communities,” said Wayne Hanson, Elk River Station manager. “We substantially reduce landfill requirements by burning municipal waste (garbage) thereby decreasing the volume by more than 90 percent. The electricity produced in this manner reduces consumption of non-renewable fuels for power production.”
Great River Energy’s Elk River Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) plant was able to consume 301,780 tons of RDF in 1998, beating the previous record of 301,219 tons set in 1997. For the third year in a row, plant employees’ efforts and talents enabled the plant to set new production records.
Although, the new record only surpasses the previous one by approximately 500 tons, the station achieved this record during a year filled with unusual challenges. The plant sustained a lightning strike July 15, 1998, which damaged the unit three main step-up transformer and generator, bringing approximately half of the plant’s generation off-line for over four weeks.
General Electric service crews aided in temporarily reconfiguring the generator windings to allow the Elk River Station to operate with six of the 42 coils isolated in the generator.
The station’s production records over the past few years resulted from innovative improvements in plant operation procedures and equipment. Production figures for the past five years reveal a steady improvement in both the number of tons burned, and the net electrical generation.
Great River Energy is located in Elk River, Minn. and is one of 60 generation and transmission cooperatives operating in the United States, and was formed when United Power Association and Cooperative Power consolidated operations. There are 900 electric distribution cooperatives in the United States serving 31 million people in 46 states.
