An investigative team has been deployed, and an external investigation expert is being contacted.

Basin Electric will provide continual updates as they become available.

“While we are relieved that no lives have been lost, we are heartsick for our impacted employees and their families. Everyone deserves to go to work in a safe environment. The safety of our employees is of utmost importance to us. Earlier this month we entered into a program with Caterpillar Safety Services to transform Basin Electric’s safety program to a cooperative-wide culture of safety. These incidents are extremely unfortunate and rare. We are committed to preventing accidents across the cooperative,” said Andrew M. Serri, Basin Electric CEO and general manager.

Basin Electric CEO and General Manager Andrew M. Serri holds the microphone for Alan Bray, Apache Canada Ltd. manager, during the breakfast ceremony. Cenovus Energy Inc. and Apache use the carbon dioxide produced at the Synfuels Plant for enhanced oil recovery.

A celebration was the first order of business on the day’s agenda at Dakota Gasification Company‘s Great Plains Synfuels Plant May 16.

On Feb. 24, 2013, Dakota Gas delivered its 25 millionth metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the oil fields near Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada. Employees, plant management and public officials celebrated that milestone during a breakfast ceremony May 16 at the Synfuels Plant near Beulah, ND. Dakota Gas is a for-profit subsidiary of Basin Electric.

The first CO2 was delivered through the 205-mile pipeline in October 2000. On a typical day, 7,000-8,000 metric tons of CO2 are delivered from the Synfuels Plant to two Canadian oil fields near Weyburn, which are part of the largest carbon sequestration project in the world.

Exponent arrived on plant site May 16 and should complete preliminary work May 17. They have not identified a specific root cause of the fire.

No further significant structural damage has been found. The areas that sustained damage were the breakaway walls and windows in Units 1 and 2 surge bin areas and adjacent areas.

Unit 1 is estimated to return to service June 1. Unit 2 will likely extend its scheduled eight week maintenance outage from its original return-to-service date of May 26 to June 8.

Follow the story
May 14: No injuries at Laramie River Station fire
May 15: Fire damage assessment ongoing at Laramie River Station

The Wheatland volunteer fire department responded and aided the effort to control the fire.

An initial inspection of the area shows damage to many sheet metal walls of conveyor rooms as well as piping and electrical damage.  No apparent structural damage has been noted.  A decision was made to remove Unit 1 from service until we can safely deliver coal to the Unit 1 bunkers again. The surge bin tower is the delivery point for coal from the stockpile to supply coal to Units 1 and 2. There are three units at the station. Unit 3 continues operation.

It’s not certain when Unit 1 will be returned to service. Unit 2 was offline at the time of the incident due to a scheduled maintenance outage.

(From left) Pius Fischer, Amanda Wangler and Dave Schneider test equipment at the factory.

“Testing, testing, 1-2-3. Can you hear me now?”

Basin Electric’s new microwave system equipment is undergoing testing, but it’s much more sophisticated than that. A team of telecommunication engineers and technicians was in Austin, TX, in early May conducting factory acceptance testing on equipment being purchased from Aviat Networks.

Watch the video as Dave Schneider, Basin Electric telecommunications engineering supervisor and project manager, takes us on a quick trip onto the testing floor.

The microwave system forms a protective ring around the cooperative’s transmission system through a series of barely noticeable towers. If instability or an outage is detected on a transmission line, a signal carried via microwave tells breakers at the substation to open or close to reroute electricity accordingly. The switch happens in a fraction of a second, and the consumers at the end of the line may not notice so much as a flicker. The invisible signals also carry data – basically anything that can be broken down into 1’s and 0’s.

Learn more about the microwave system upgrade project on Basin Electric’s website:

• Strengthening the invisible backbone

The cause and damages are being investigated. The fire has been extinguished. Unit 1 was shut down, Unit 2  is currently offline for a planned outage, and Unit 3 is still operating.

An investigation team will be on site tomorrow. Basin Electric is a part-owner and operator of the Laramie River Station.

Three young professionals with Basin Electric: (From left) intern Lindsey DeKrey, employee Chelsy Ciavarella and intern Mariah Kitzan.

Basin Electric has been named one of the top 10 places for young professionals to work in Bismarck-Mandan, ND, by the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network in 2013.

Eligible businesses must employ young professionals under 40. They’re evaluated in categories like inclusion, benefits and professional development.

Young Professionals Network is a group of young professionals (ages 21-39 years old) connected to enhance the social, professional, cultural and service opportunities for young professionals in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

Multimedia specialist Chelsy Ciavarella, a young professional with Basin Electric, interned with the cooperative before accepting a full-time position less than one year ago.

“I like working for Basin because it is a company set on bettering the community. It allows me to better myself professionally and personally by challenging me with jobs in and out of the work place,” Ciavarella says. “I enjoy the different events put on that bring us employees closer together, like the tree lighting, family night and Wellness Week. Basin also inspires me to get out and serve the community through volunteering at the soup kitchen, joining the Rebuilding Together team or raising money for childhood cancers.”

Basin Electric received several honors recognizing the cooperative as an elite employer within the last year, including the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award and International Right of Way Association (IRWA) Dakotas Chapter 72 2012 Employer of the Year.

Interested in working at Basin Electric? Check out our job openings!

UPDATED 5/20/13 4 p.m.: This is the second time Basin Electric has been named a Top 10 workplace by the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network . The last time was in 2011.

Dry Fork Station employees gave two electrical safety presentations before the students started working on their posters during art class. When the posters were finished, operations staff from Dry Fork Station voted on first, second and third place winners for each class.

An ice cream social and awards ceremony was then held at the school where prizes were handed out. The first place prize winners were given a Nabi educational tablet.

Rawhide Elementary School is in close proximity to Dry Fork Station and has participated in the poster contests in years past during the construction of the power plant.

This unique 3-D safety poster wins first place out of the sixth grade class.

Basin Electric CEO and General Manager Andrew M. Serri hands out first through third place prizes to the winners.

Students gather for the ice cream social and poster awards ceremony.

A Dry Fork Station employee looks over the safety posters before voting on the winners.

Students learn about electric safety during the electrical safety presentations put on by Dry Fork Station employees.

Basin Electric’s Intranet features several blogs written by employees. One, called “Energize,” is written by Nicole Perreault, graphic designer and multimedia specialist II.

Last week, she featured Lynn Beiswanger. Read and watch his fitness success story here.

When did you start incorporating wellness into your life?
I have always incorporated wellness into my life but really began to increase my focus in 1998.

What motivated you to make your health a priority in your life?
Even though I had taken care of myself most of my life, there were a number of years after making a job change and trying to raise a family that I didn’t take time out for myself for exercising. Also, my nutrition choices weren’t bad, but I just ate too much and too often which allowed for a significant increase in my weight. My day of reckoning came when I asked my daughter, who was about to graduate from high school, what she wanted for a present. She looked me right in the eye and said, “I want you to get your health back, Dad.” That was a huge slap in the face, but one I’ll always remember. That was the beginning for me to assess my lifestyle and what direction I wanted it to go.

How has your health, weight, energy level, etc. changed since you started living a healthier lifestyle?
Once I turned things around and made a lifestyle change, which included looking at my nutrition and hydration plan, incorporating exercise and reflecting on my spiritual life, I began to feel better than I had in years. My energy level was up, my disposition generally was better and as they say “Life was Good.”

What was the most difficult part of changing your lifestyle?
Making the time to do it right was the most difficult part of changing my lifestyle. It’s about baby steps and that’s what I did. I made little changes over a long period of time. That’s why you look at from a lifestyle perspective not an instant gratification perspective.

Why do you feel it is important to eat healthy and workout?
The combination of eating healthy and exercise sustain me in my daily living. If you feel better, everything you do during the day seems to go well and you maintain a constant energy level throughout.

Describe your weekly workout routine.
I enjoy participating in triathlons so my routine incorporates running, cycling or spin class, swimming, strength training and some type of workout to maintain flexibility.

What is your favorite workout?
I enjoy endurance events so my favorite workout is when I’m training for a half Ironman. We “get” to swim for an hour, ride bike for 2 hours, and finish off with a 1 ½ hour run. Now that’s what I call a good training day.

Lynn Beiswanger and his son, Derick Beiswanger, ran their first marathon together in Denver, CO.

How have they responded to your healthier lifestyle?
See the information above. They embrace it themselves.

Are you involved in the community, hobbies, clubs, etc.?
I am co-chair of the Bismarck Marathon. I facilitate an HEP C support group for the Bismarck/Mandan area as well as for western North Dakota. I sing in the choir and read. I run with the American Liver Foundations Run for Research Team at the Boston Marathon. I also enjoy riding the tandem bike with my wife Carol.

How did you find time to incorporate exercise into your schedule?
You schedule exercise into your schedule just as you do your meetings, hobbies, etc. It’s important to lay out a plan that incorporates short, intermediate and long term goals for yourself and then revisit those on a regular basis.

What is your advice for other employees looking to improve their overall health and wellness?
The biggest challenge is taking the first step. Once you take that first step and make a commitment to changing or improving your lifestyle, you then just take it one day at a time. Sit down and lay out a plan you can live with. It’s important to be reasonable and not so aggressive that you will burn out and stop. You should celebrate the little changes and remember that this is a lifelong journey you’re on, so stop looking for the magic pill and instant gratification. Best of all, enjoy the positive way you feel and celebrate the greatest gift of all, the gift of life.

Donna Amundson, Sanford Diabetes Care director, tests the blood sugar of Whitney Fischer, financial analyst II, during Basin Electric’s Safety & Wellness Fair on Wednesday.

Basin Electric cares about the well-being of its employees. That’s why all are encouraged to enjoy the healthy food and engaging activities provided during the remainder of the cooperative’s Safety & Wellness Week, including massage therapy appointments.

Today, weather permitting, the south lawn will be the place to be for a lunch of grilled turkey burgers with baked beans and grapes. The money raised from the lunch’s free-will offering will benefit Bismarck-Mandan’s Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, which helps children reach their potential through professionally supported relationships. Employees have been giving free-will donations all week to different organizations in the community.

Healthy snacks are available in various places for employees.

A safety and wellness fair was held Wednesday morning, where a personal protective equipment specialist was present, along with a North Dakota Safety Council representative, who spoke about the importance of safe driving.

A chiropractor, physical therapist, dental expert, and certified fitness trainer were also available to talk with employees, as well as a vendor who discussed the health benefits of tea. Employees were able to experience acupuncture and mini chair massages, as well as receive blood pressure and blood glucose readings. BlueCross BlueShield of North Dakota and Employee Assistance Program representatives presented information on reducing stress and dealing with hypertension. Bismarck Parks & Recreation provided information on activities available in the community throughout the year.

Officer Tim Sass of the Bismarck Police Department performs a demonstration with his K-9 partner, Oscar, on Wednesday, as part of Safety & Wellness Week.

New vendors at this week’s fair were also present. Four tables were designated for charitable organizations that share Basin Electric’s understanding that wellness is not just about physical health. The Bismarck Lion’s Club, Charles Hall Youth Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Volunteer Caregiver Exchange all provided information to employees about their organizations.

“When you do good things for other people, that’s a component of mental health,” says Teresa Bauer, Basin Electric benefits planning analyst and Wellness Committee member.

Safety & Wellness Week is also about facing challenges.

“We bring in all these different disciplines, and we hope that employees will be empowered by that knowledge to make the small changes that cumulatively create big results,” she says.

Bauer also says this particular week serves as a reminder that wellness should be a constant state of mind.

“One of the things that we’re looking at doing with wellness is making sure that it isn’t just one week out of the year,” she says. “There are things that we hope employees do take home.”

This year’s Safety & Wellness Week Committee included Nicole Perreault, graphic designer and multimedia specialist II; Jen Holen, event planner and charitable giving coordinator; Kelly Cozby, safety and occupational health administrator; Blake Stoner, construction safety coordinator; Lynn Beiswanger, TSM safety coordinator; Dan Job, building superintendent; and Mel Francis, cafeteria coordinator.

The Wellness Committee is in the process of rebuilding. Current members include Teresa Bauer, Nicole Perreault and Lynn Beiswanger. The more healthy minds Basin Electric can put together, the better.

“We’re looking for other employees that have a passion for wellness and safety,” Bauer says. “We want the committee to be diverse enough so that when we do need cooperative resources to make something happen, like this event, we’re able to do that.”

For questions or more information on how to get involved with safety and wellness at Basin Electric, email Bauer at teresab@bepc.com.