Great River Energy’s Elk River Station receives ASME award

Elk River, MN (May 23, 2005)
Elk River Station received the 2005 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Facility Recognition Award. This award was presented to Great River Energy at the North American Waste-to-Energy Conference in Orlando, Florida on May 23. This award is given to one large waste-to-energy facility (burning more than 250 tons of refuse derived fuel [RDF] per day) and one small waste-to-energy facility each year.

“This is an honor for the Elk River Station to be recognized by the industry in this way,” says Wayne Hanson, Great River Energy manager, Minnesota generation. “This award is a tribute to the employees of the station and recognizes their accomplishment to make both the Elk River Station and the waste-to-energy industry successful.”

Elk River Station was selected to receive the reward based on its success in the following areas: innovation and technical contribution to the industry; environmental and safety compliance records; success in reaching facility goals and facility economics.

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.

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. The Elk River Station operates around-the-clock with 42 employees.

About Great River Energy: Great River Energy, the second largest power supplier in Minnesota, is a generation and transmission cooperative providing electric energy and related services to 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is the fourth largest utility of its type in the country. Headquartered in Elk River, Great River Energy has 700 employees in Minnesota and North Dakota. www.GreatRiverEnergy.com

About the American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, today's ASME is a 120,000-member professional organization focused on technical, educational and research issues of the engineering and technology community. ASME conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations, holds numerous technical conferences worldwide, and offers hundreds of professional development courses each year. ASME sets internationally recognized industrial and manufacturing codes and standards that enhance public safety.