Baseload Power Plants
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Basin Electric's 1,660-megawatt Laramie River Station near Wheatland, WY. |
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.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
1717 East Interstate Ave.
Bismarck, ND 58503-0564 USA
701.223.0441