Great River Energy files resource plan, commits to renewable energy objective

Elk River, MN (July 12, 2005)
On June 30, Great River Energy filed its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The plan, which analyzes the future electricity needs of Great River Energy’s 28 member cooperatives, identifies the need to add approximately 1200-1400 MW (megawatts) of capacity over the next 10 years to satisfy an increase in member demand for electricity. In addition to this needed capacity, Great River Energy will continue to add increments of wind energy to meet the state’s renewable energy objective.

“We are pleased that our studies show that meeting the state’s 10 percent renewable energy objective reduces our overall power supply costs,” said David Saggau, Great River Energy president and CEO. “Of course, this assumes the federal production tax credit for wind energy is renewed. As it stands, Great River Energy is committed to the renewable energy objective.”

Great River Energy already is ahead of the prescribed schedule for the state’s renewable energy objective with more than 2 percent of its energy from renewable resources. Later this year, the cooperative will begin taking power from Minnesota’s first commercial-scale, landowner-developed wind farm, making an additional stride towards achieving the 10 percent renewable energy objective by 2015. The project, which is located near Trimont in southwestern Minnesota, will begin delivering 100 megawatts of wind energy to Great River Energy and its member cooperatives later this year.

Great River Energy’s system demand is forecasted to grow on average 3 percent a year over the next 10 years. This is one of the fastest growing systems in the Upper Midwest.

"Because Great River Energy’s members serve many fast growing communities, we’re predicting high growth over the planning period," said Saggau. "We are committed to adding new resources to meet this growth in an economically efficient and environmentally sound manner."

The IRP also outlines what resources are currently available to Great River Energy and how the organization will consider new resources for the future. Great River Energy will look at adding peaking and intermediate resources in 2008 to 2010 and baseload capacity in 2014 to 2016. For these new resources, a variety of options will be considered including gas peaking or intermediate capacity, baseload capacity, power purchase contracts and renewable energy sources such as wind energy.

The complete text for Great River Energy's Integrated Resource Plan can be found on the website.

Headquartered in Elk River, Minn., Great River Energy is a not-for-profit generation and transmission electric cooperative providing wholesale electric energy and related services to 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin serving 1.5 million people. Great River Energy is the second largest utility in Minnesota, in terms of generating capacity, and the fifth largest utility of its type in the United States.