A voluntary international standard, ISO 14001 requires a company to develop and implement an environmental management system that addresses the immediate and long-term impacts of a plant’s activities and processes on the environment. It also provides for the allocation of resources, assignment of responsibilities, and the evaluation of company practices, procedures and processes. As part of the ISO 14001 certification process, an independent registrar must complete a rigorous audit of a plant’s environmental programs. This certification process then continues on a semi-annual basis.

Coal Creek Station

Coal Creek Station, located near Underwood, was the first facility in North Dakota and the first electric cooperative power plant in the U.S. to achieve ISO 14001 certification in December 1998. The station continues to maintain its certification.

Elk River Station

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. In late 2007 Elk River Station received ISO 14001 certification of its environmental management system (EMS). This certification demonstrates conformance to an international standard that reflects global consensus on superior environmental practices.

Lakefield Junction Station

Great River Energy developed and implemented an environmental management system for its Lakefield Junction Station located in Martin County in south-central Minnesota. The station is also a relatively new peaking plant that began operating in June 2001. Lakefield Junction Station was certified to the ISO 14001 standard in December 2004 and continues to maintain its environmental management system.

Pleasant Valley Station

Pleasant Valley Station is located in Mower County, Minnesota, about 20 miles southwest of Rochester. Two units at the plant began operating in spring 2002; a third unit started in June 2002. An environmental management system was developed in parallel with commissioning of the station. Pleasant Valley Station was certified to the ISO 14001 standard in June 2003 and continues to maintain its environmental management system.

Transmission System

Great River Energy’s transmission system has received ISO 14001 certification of its environmental management system (EMS). This is quite a unique certification. We are aware of only one other transmission system in the U.S. that is ISO 14001 certified.