Groton Generation Station dedicated on Sept. 21
Sept. 21, 2006
Groton, S.D. – Dedication ceremonies for the Groton Generation Station were held Sept. 21, 2006, at the plant site, five miles south of Groton. Activities began at 11 a.m. with a short program of speakers, featuring representatives from S.D. Gov. Rounds’ office, Basin Electric, General Electric, area electric cooperatives, and the city of Groton. Tours of the facility followed.
The 95-megawatt Groton Generation Station was constructed by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Bismarck, N.D. The unit is classified as a peaking plant, which means it usually operates during periods of high demand for electricity that can’t be met by base-load power plants or when electricity prices are high. The unit can also be used to provide system stability, if needed, or provide back-up in the event other facilities aren’t available.
The turbine installed at the facility is the first commercial application of its kind. It features GE’s LMS100® simple cycle gas turbine, which uses a combination of frame and aeroderivative technology.
When additional generation is not required, the unit has a clutch between the turbine and generator that allows the turbine to be shutdown after the generator is brought up to speed. The generator then acts as a large motor, which provides stability to the transmission system.
Construction on the facility began in August 2005. By November, the gas turbine-generator was delivered and in April, the turbine had its first fire. It reached full-load operation in May and after further performance and reliability testing, it was deemed ready for commercial operation on July 1.
The decision to run the unit will be made by Basin Electric and its dispatch agent Western Area Power Administration. It can be operated remotely from the Leland Olds Station near Stanton, N.D. The unit serve electric co-ops in the region, including East River Electric Power Cooperative and its member distribution systems in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota.
The $69-million Groton Generation Station will be fueled with natural gas produced from coal at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant, Beulah, N.D., and transported to the station via the Northern Border Pipeline. A 12-mile tap line connects the Groton Generation Station to the Northern Border Pipeline. The station is connected to a nearby electrical substation operated by the Western Area Power Administration.
Basin Electric is a consumer-owned, regional cooperative headquartered in Bismarck. It generates and transmits electricity to member rural electric systems in nine states: Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. These member systems distribute electricity to about 1.8 million consumers.
The electricity produced by Groton Generation Station will be an integral part of Basin Electric’s generating resources that includes two coal-based power plants in North Dakota – the Antelope Valley Station, Beulah, and the Leland Olds Station, Stanton; a coal-based power plant in Wyoming – the Laramie River Station, Wheatland; two peaking stations – the oil-fueled Spirit Mound Station, Vermillion, S.D., and the natural-gas fueled Wisdom Station near Spencer, Iowa; nine combustion-turbine generators (natural gas) in the Gillette, Wyo., area; and four wind turbines – two near Minot, N.D., and two near Chamberlain, S.D. Basin Electric purchases the entire output of three wind farms owned and operated by FPL Energy – two in North Dakota, one near Edgeley/Kulm, the other near Wilton, and one near Highmore in South Dakota; and two other 750-kilowatt wind turbines, one located near Pipestone, Minn., and another near Rosebud, S.D.
