Great River Energy’s Elk River Peaking Station officially begins operation
ELK RIVER, MINN. -- JULY 9, 2009 -- Following more than two years of planning, permitting, construction and testing, Great River Energy’s Elk River Peaking Station officially began commercial operation earlier this month. The facility, located in Elk River, Minn., entered the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator dispatch pool on Fri., July 3. Prior to that, it already had been called on to supply electricity into the region’s system during recent hot weather which spurred significant air conditioner use.
The 175-megawatt (MW) natural gas peaking plant features a Siemens simple-cycle combustion turbine-generator, and can generate enough electricity to power approximately 175,000 homes. The plant will be fueled with natural gas April through October and with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel oil the rest of the year. Harris Contracting Company, St. Paul, Minn., was general contractor on the project.
“We are proud that the Elk River Peaking Station is doing what it was built to do and already has provided power during some of our hottest days this summer. It already is serving our member cooperatives by providing power into the MISO market very quickly and cost effectively,” said Vince Herda, Great River Energy project manager for the construction of the facility.
Elk River Peaking Station normally will operate in times of highest electrical demand, which generally occur during periods of very high or very low temperatures. In addition, Great River Energy occasionally may be called upon to operate the facility to provide voltage support on the area’s transmission grid or for other grid support functions. Great River Energy anticipates Elk River Peaking Station’s total operating time will average 500 to 1,100 hours a year. The majority will occur during summer periods of high air conditioner use.
According to Herda, starting time for the plant is particularly noteworthy. Siemens’ new turbine-generator, the 5000F(4), is able to reach 150 MW of power output in 10 minutes, which is faster than any other industrial turbine this size operating in the world.
Elk River Peaking Station is located in Sherburne County, Minn., which is northwest of Minneapolis. It was built at Great River Energy’s Elk River Energy Park, where a waste-to-energy power plant and several transmission facilities also are located.
“This is the first time Great River Energy has built a peaking station within a larger city,” said Herda. “Fortunately the Elk River City Council was supportive of the project. They worked closely with us to ensure community concerns were addressed, and it was a pleasure working with them.”
About Great River EnergyGreat River Energy is a not-for-profit cooperative which provides wholesale electricity to more than 1.7 million people through 28 member distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. With more than $2.8 billion in assets, Great River Energy is the second largest utility in the state, based on generating capacity, and the fifth largest generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative in the United States. Great River Energy’s member cooperatives range from those in the outer-ring suburbs of the Twin Cities to the Arrowhead region of Minnesota to the farmland of southwestern Minnesota. Great River Energy’s largest distribution cooperative serves more than 120,000 member-consumers; the smallest serves just over 2,400. For more information, visit www.greatriverenergy.com.
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For more information:
Lori Buffington, Communications
Great River Energy
Office: 763-445-5714
Cell: 763-486-9266
lbuffington@GREnergy.com
