Basin's base load power is like the heartbeat of the electricity grid, maintaining a steady and constant rhythm that keeps the entire system alive and functioning, no matter the fluctuations in demand.
The Basin Electric Power Cooperative Dry Fork Station in Wyoming is at the forefront of efforts to make coal-based electricity generation more environmentally responsible, serving as a crucial site for research and development in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies.
These projects, such as the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) and Wyoming CarbonSAFE , are striving to innovate and find viable solutions for managing carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. The tour by EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan and other officials seems to signify the national importance of the work being done at Dry Fork Station.
Tom Stalcup, the Dry Fork Station plant manager, highlighted the extensive investments made to operate the plant in an environmentally responsible manner. The environmental controls they use, which took 30 years to develop, are designed to minimize emissions of pollutants like mercury, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide.
Chris Baumgartner, Basin Electric senior vice president of Member & External Relations, emphasizes the need for a comprehensive and practical approach towards new regulatory standards. He is concerned that EPA’s proposed rules on greenhouse gas emissions might not align with the practical realities of designing, permitting, and constructing carbon capture technologies at Dry Fork Station, potentially impacting the reliability and affordability of electricity for their members. This emphasizes the importance of collaboration between federal, state, and private sectors in the transition towards cleaner energy.
It is clear that there is a commitment from Dry Fork Station and its partners to push the envelope in CCUS technologies, but it also underscores the significant challenges—technological, regulatory, and financial—that must be overcome to move these technologies from the research phase to widespread commercial deployment. This story underlines the complex landscape of transitioning toward cleaner energy options while maintaining reliability and affordability.
#CleanCoal #BaseLoadPower #PowerGeneration #BasinElectric #NorthDakota #Carbon #CarbonCapture #CarbonReduction
Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station near Gillette, Wyoming, is certainly a sight to see!
Recently, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, and EPA Region 8 Administrator KC Becker toured Dry Fork as well as the Wyoming Integrated Test Center and Wyoming CarbonSAFE projects located at the facility.
Read more: https://bit.ly/3Yyy2hG
Thank you to all the Creedence Energy Services volunteers who worked hard planting trees for North Dakota Petroleum Foundation "Planting for the Future" program!