Record-breaking year at Basin Electric power plants

2009 was a record-setting year for Basin Electric’s three coal-based generating stations in North Dakota and Wyoming, especially during the month of December.

Leland Olds Station is Basin Electric's first power plant.

Leland Olds Station (Stanton, ND): Set a station generation record that hasn’t been surpassed since May 1978. Both units produced a total of 444,196 net megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity in December 2009. The previous record was 440,052 MWh.

Antelope Valley Station (Beulah, ND): Unit 1 set a generation record of 324,171 net MWh for a 31-day month in December, surpassing a January 2006 mark of 321,789 MWh.

Laramie River Station (Wheatland, WY): All three units set individual and combined generation records during December. As a station, a generation record of 1,252,770 net MWh was set for the month of December. The old record of 1,216,370 net MWh was set in March 2005.

Mary Albrecht, control room operator at Leland Olds Station.

Mike Fluharty, Basin Electric’s vice president of plant operations, says these records are an indication the plants are well-maintained and operated. “These are baseload power plants – they run 24-hours a day, seven days a week, in good weather and bad. They are the backbone of Basin Electric’s generating fleet of power plants.

“We have a very reliable and capable fleet of power plants to meet the needs of our member cooperatives in nine states. I’m proud of the people who work hard day-in and day-out to keep them running.”