Lignite-generated electricity is abundant, low-cost, reliable and environmentally sustainable.

Lignite is a dark brown to black combustible mineral formed over millions of years by the partial decomposition of plant material subject to increased pressure and temperature in an airless atmosphere. In simple terms, lignite is coal.

  • Lignite is abundant and accessible.
  • Lignite-generated electricity is reliable.
  • Lignite-generated electricity is environmentally compatible.
  • Lignite-generated electricity is low-cost.
  • Lignite is used in an environmentally-responsible manner by power plants.

Why does the region have lignite?

Lignite reserves in this region were deposited by tons and tons of dead and decaying plants in a swampy atmosphere 50-to-70 million years ago, and the overburden above the coal was deposited there by runoff from the west as the Rocky Mountains formed.

The heating content of lignite is approximately 7,000 Btus per pound & its water content is about 35 percent.