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Generation

Baseload power

Regardless of their fuel source, power plants that produce electricity 24/7 are called 'baseload.'  Nationally, baseload power is the lowest cost continuous source of stable and reliable electric energy.

The Leland Olds Station, the Laramie River Station and the Antelope Valley Station are the work horses of Basin Electric’s baseload generation fleet. The 385-megwatt (MW) Dry Fork Station under construction near Gillette, WY, is a baseload generator scheduled for commercial operation in 2011. These units are considered to be baseload because electricity is not a stored commodity - generation supply must always meet demand for power on the grid. Otherwise, the power plants can trip off-line causing a brown-out or a black-out.

On occasion, Basin Electric will shut down a baseload unit to conduct regularly scheduled maintenance. These outages, which require considerable time, effort and money, are investments in future efficiency and reliability.

Basin Electric's capital investments made decades ago have resulted in a highly efficient, clean and safe fleet of baseload power plants. These plants have set consecutive generation records, regardless of unit age, in part because of our employees’ technical expertise. Operators at baseload plants are key personnel in the minute-by-minute balancing process necessary for electricity production that maximizes efficiency and continuity of service to meet our members’ needs.

Peaking power

Meeting the electrical needs of rural electric consumers in the region is a complex business. Many factors, such as weather, equipment failure, fuel supply and uncertain demand for power are involved in producing energy to meet consumer demand 24 hours a day. The best insurance for dealing with these factors is to have additional generating capacity in the form of peaking stations.

A peaking station usually runs when demand on the grid exceeds baseload generation capacity in the region.

Peaking stations are capable of moving from stand-by mode to full load within minutes, and some can be operated remotely. They often run during extreme winter heating and summer cooling days. They are essential for ensuring system-wide reliability when demand for capacity has been exceeded.

In a nutshell, the purpose of a peaking station is to be ready to run.

Renewable energy - $1 billion investment

The collective voice of its membership is the strength of the cooperative business model. This is true from the distribution level to generation and transmission (G&T) cooperatives. At Basin Electric's 2005 annual meeting, our members' voices set in motion strategic planning by the board and management to expand the supply of wholesale renewable energy generation resources to the membership by 10 percent by 2010. In 2009 Basin Electric contracted to purchase wind energy from a new NextEra Energy wind project in South Dakota, and completed its own wind projects near Minot, ND, putting Basin Electric on track to exceed our members' renewable energy goal this year. Basin Electric committed to renewable generation with an installed capacity equal to 22 percent of member load. Through direct investments and annual payments under renewable power purchase agreements, these projects represent a capital investment of more than $1 billion in renewable resources. Basin Electric is emerging as a national leader in renewable energy.

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