Biomass

Waste-to-energy plants, such as Elk River Station convert "refuse derived fuel" from mixed municipal waste into energy. Using waste to generate electricity - after the implementation of area recycling and reduction programs - provides an efficient disposal method for garbage.

Elk River Station About Elk River Station Every day, the Elk River Station converts 2.5 million pounds of garbage into enough electricity for about 30,000 homes, making it a leader in using waste-to-energy technology. Elk River Station’s three generators produce 35 to 42 megawatts of electricity from specially processed municipal solid waste called refuse-derived fuel (RDF). Elk River Station operates around-the-clock with 42 employees.

The power plant began commercial operation in 1950, utilizing coal and oil. In 1963, it was converted to a nuclear power plant, before being changed back to operate on coal and oil in 1968. The plant was then converted on August 19, 1989, to operate on RDF.

As a waste-to-energy power plant, the Elk River Station meets the definition of biomass energy in Minnesota. The renewable energy classification recognizes that the Elk River Station is environmentally safe and beneficial to the residents of Minnesota by converting a waste material into electrical energy.

How the Plant Works

On a daily basis, 1,500 tons of municipal waste arrives at a special processing facility located in Elk River, Minnesota The waste is collected from five Minnesota counties – Anoka, Benton, Hennepin, Sherburne and Stearns. Materials that can be recycled and items that cannot be burned are removed, leaving 1,250 tons of RDF to generate the high pressure steam needed to power Elk River Station’s three generators.

Safety Policy

Great River Energy considers no phase of operation or administration as being of greater importance than the safety and well being of its employees. It is the policy of Great River Energy to provide the necessary resources to maintain safe and healthful working conditions and to follow operating practices that will safeguard all employees.

Environmental Performance

The Elk River Station – as a waste-to-energy facility – is highly regulated. To help meet those stringent regulations, the Elk River Station uses an efficient combustion process which is designed to prevent the formation of dioxins in the combustion process. The power plant also uses special environmental equipment to treat the smoke and gases formed as a result of incinerating the RDF.

As a result, emissions from the Elk River Station are low. In fact, annual stack tests in 2002 detected no mercury emissions and extremely low dioxin emissions – 1/10^th of an ounce for the year. Also, Elk River Station did not have a single permit violation of any kind in 2002.

Following the combustion process, about 20 percent of the RDF remains in the form of ash which is trucked to a state-approved disposal site in Becker, Minnesota Because much of the RDF is utilized at Elk River Station, the plant reduces the amount of waste entering landfills in Minnesota by more than 300,000 tons per year. In addition, using RDF instead of disposing it in a landfill eliminates the methane that is generated when the waste is buried (methane is a highly active greenhouse gas). Also, waste-to-energy facilities conserve natural resources such as oil, coal and natural gas.