Great River Energy

Great River Energy is an electric transmission and generation cooperative in the U.S. state of Minnesota; it is the state's second largest electric utility, behind Xcel Energy.

Located in Maple Grove, Minnesota, Great River Energy provides electricity to 28 Member Co-ops, throughout Minnesota. The company moved to its new headquarters in April 2008, a building which is expected to be certified as LEED Platinum in late 2008. The new headquarters also include a 160-foot tall, 200 kilowatt wind turbine and a 72-kilowatt solar array at ground level and on the rooftop. The building uses approximately half the energy of similar-sized buildings constructed using standard construction techniques, 40 percent less electricity for lighting and 90 percent less water than standard corporate campuses.

= Electric Plants =

=Coal=

:*Coal Creek Station - Located south of Underwood, North Dakota::Generating electricity since 1979; this station is North Dakotas largest, producing 1,100 megawatts of electricity, & using 7.5 to 8.0 million tons lignite of per year, which it gets from the Falkirk Mine.:*Spiritwood Station - Located near Spiritwood, North Dakota (Under Construction):*Stanton Station - Located near Stanton, North Dakota::Generating electricity since 1966, it produces 189 megawatts of electricity, and uses 850,000 tons of lignite per year.

=Biomass=

:*Elk River Station - Located in Elk River, Minnesota

Natural Gas / Oil Peaking Plants0

:*Cambridge Station - Located in Cambridge, Minnesota:*Lakefield Junction Station - Located in Trimont, Minnesota:*Pleasant Valley Station - Located in Dexter, Minnesota:*Spiritwood Station - Located near Spiritwood, North Dakota (Under Construction)

=Wind=

:*GRE also purchases power from windmill farms in the Buffalo Ridge, Dodge Center, Jackson County, & Trimont Area.

Purchases

:*When needed Great River Energy also purchases electricity from other electric producers.

Member cooperatives

Sponsorships

Great River Energy supports a number of community programs and events through sponsorships. One of their largest sponsorships is the Great River Energy bicycle festival, a five-day event held in cities throughout central Minnesota. All proceeds from the Festival are donated to Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Beginning in fall 2008, Great River Energy will sponsor the Minnesota Orchestra's Inside the Classics series.

External links

* [http://www.greatriverenergy.com Great River Energy]
* [http://www.MinnBikeFest.com Great River Energy Bicycle Festival]