| Great River Energy's resource mix is diverse.
Our energy comes from:
Coal-based power plants in North Dakota
Hydropower
Natural gas-fired peaking plants in Minnesota
A refuse-derived (municipal waste) power plant at Elk River, Minn.
Wind energy in Minnesota
Purchased power
We own and operate nine power plants that generate more than 2,500 megawatts of electricity, plus we purchase additional power from several wind farms and other generating facilities.
To learn more about how dependable electricity reaches you, view our
brochure.
Note on tours: If your school or youth group would like to tour
one of our generation facilities, please call: 763-441-3121 (in Minnesota)
or 701-442-3778 (in North Dakota).
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Coal |
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Two coal baseload
power plants – Coal Creek Station and Stanton Station –
help comprise the backbone of our electric generation system. These
plants run all day, every day in order to meet the energy needs
of our customers. |
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Biomass |
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Elk River Station,
our waste-to-energy plant, converts "refuse derived fuel"
from mixed municipal waste into energy. This fuel is considered
a "biomass" fuel, such as plant matter and animal waste,
because – as we all know – municipal waste is a "replenishable"
resource. |
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Natural
Gas / Oil |
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Great River Energy operates
its peaking plants on the hottest and coldest days of the year,
when demand for electricity is especially high. The plants use natural
gas or fuel oil to generate electricity. Because peaking plants
are more expensive to operate, we put them into service only when
necessary to increase capacity. |
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Wind |
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As Great River
Energy continues to grow, our new generation will include more environmentally
sound renewable energy sources. Our generation sources already include
wind energy, refuse-derived fuel and hydropower. Great River Energy
is looking at ways to further diversify its energy portfolio by
exploring biomass, fuel cells, clean coal and other technologies
as they become available. |
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