Dry Fork Station takes first maintenance outage
Basin Electric's newest baseload power plant has been taken off line for its first planned maintenance outage.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
- August 19, 2011
 |
Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station came off line on Aug. 14 for its first significant planned maintenance outage. The new power plant north of Gillette, WY, is in the commissioning process, and had been producing test generation since it was first synced to the transmission grid on May 10, 2011.
Terry Storbeck, maintenance superintendent at the Dry Fork Station, said the main purpose of the outage is to remove the fine screens from the turbine control valves. “These screens were installed to catch any particles that remained in the boiler and steam piping after the air blows were conducted,” he said. The air blows were conducted in January 2011 to clear debris left over from construction.”
Storbeck said several other tasks are planned for the outage, including work in the boiler, resealing a joint below the turbine and testing the emergency generator. “We’ll also be installing performance devices so when we come back online, we can conduct performance testing,” he said.
When the unit is restarted on Aug. 26, start-up emissions testing will be conducted. Testing will also be conducted by a contractor to ensure compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Western Electric Coordinating Council’s reliability requirements.
Headquarters
1717 East Interstate Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58503-0564 USA
Phone: 701.223.0441
Basin Electric Power Cooperative will provide cost-effective wholesale energy along with products and services that support and unite rural America.
