Lignite Energy Council

Gov. Hoeven leads groundbreaking for new Spiritwood Industrial Park

(11/14/07)

Gov. John Hoeven today led the groundbreaking ceremony for Spiritwood Station, the first combined heat and power plant to be built in North Dakota. The facility is part of Spiritwood Industrial Park, a new $500 million industrial complex near Jamestown, which will include a 100 million gallon ethanol plant; an expanded Cargill malt processing plant; and a 99 megawatt coal-fired steam generating plant using the latest technology to power the enterprise.

Construction of Spirit Station will cost $276 million and is scheduled to go on line by the first quarter of 2010. It will provide:

Heat – 555,000 pounds of steam per hour to Cargill Malt and the Newman Group’s 100-million gallon-per-year ethanol plant; and
Power – 62 megawatts of base-load electricity to Great River Energy’s customers in Minnesota and 37 megawatts of peaking electricity for sale to the regional energy market.

“The Spiritwood Industrial Park is a good example of how we are developing North Dakota’s energy resources in partnership with other industries – doing new things in new ways,” Hoeven said. “At Spiritwood, ethanol, lignite, value-added ag processing, farming and ranching are working together to create jobs and fresh opportunities for North Dakotans.”

“We are excited about this new plant, which will provide competitively priced electricity to our customers and a local source and competitively priced energy for the local agricultural processing facilities,” said Greg Ridderbusch, vice president of business development and strategy for Great River Energy. “The synergies of working together will provide a ‘win-win’ situation for everyone involved.”

As the newest power plant in North Dakota in 25 years, Spiritwood Station will utilize Best Available Control Technologies, making it one of the cleanest coal-based power plants in the world. The power plant will use refined lignite from Great American Energy – processed utilizing innovative coal drying technology from Great River Energy’s Coal Creek Station. The primary water source for Spiritwood Station will be waste water from Cargill Malt.

When operating, Spiritwood Station will have a significant impact on the local economy through the creation of 42 operating jobs (25 at the power plant and 18 for transportation of the refined lignite from Underwood to Spiritwood). The plant will also generate about 480 construction jobs.

Great River Energy announced that Dennis Pozarnsky has been selected as construction site manager for Spiritwood Station. He will become plant manager when construction is finalized in 2010. Pozarnsky has over 30 years experience in the power industry, including the design, construction, startup and operation of coal, nuclear, and refuse-derived fuel power plants. As a licensed professional engineer, he most recently served as maintenance supervisor at Great River Energy’s Elk River Station.

Great River Energy owns and operates two power plants in North Dakota: Stanton Station, located near Stanton and operational since 1966, and Coal Creek Station, located near Underwood, and operational since 1979.