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Groton Station Unit 2

With the completion of Groton Unit 1 just in time to meet the Basin Electric member systems’ summer peak in 2006 and indications of continued load growth, the Basin Electric board of directors authorized a second gas-fired peaking unit near Groton, SD, in August 2006.

Dick Shaffer, Basin Electric mechanical engineering supervisor and project manager, said Basin Electric filed a notice of intent for the second unit with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in September.

Setting the turbine is precise work

According to the permitting process, Basin Electric would have to wait six months before submitting the next step: an application for a permit to construct. However, Shaffer said the PUC allows the six-month waiting period to be waived if a utility can demonstrate urgency.

On Dec. 19, a team from Basin Electric, including Shaffer, Dave Raatz, manager of marketing and power supply planning; Becky Kern, power supply engineer II; and Russ Mather, staff counsel, met with the PUC and was successful in obtaining the waiver.

"Basin Electric requested the wavier to assure Groton 2 could be on-line before high 2008 load levels occurred. Groton 2 is expected to be needed to meet our members’ expected 2008 load levels and it will provide an additional margin of contingency in the event of unexpected unit and/or transmission outage(s) in the region," Raatz said. "The requested wavier just allowed Basin Electric to submit the permit application sooner and it is not a wavier of any of the environmental or construction permit requirements."

On Jan. 5, 2007 Basin Electric took the next step and submitted an application for a permit to construct. The permit application includes an environmental assessment that addresses the variety of impacts a new unit may have to the area, such as archeological, wildlife, vegetation, noise and socioeconomic considerations.
 
The PUC called a meeting regarding the permit in Groton on Feb. 5 to offer the public the opportunity to comment on the permit.

“All public testimony was favorable at the hearing on our application to the state to install a second peaking generator next to the first one south of Groton, South Dakota,” Shaffer said. “No one spoke against our application.”

Shaffer said the draft air permit was considered final around March 1 by the South Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources. The South Dakota PUC granted a permit to construct on March 13. The final permit necessary before beginning construction was a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), which was received April 26. The FONSI, written and issued by the Rural Utilities Service, reports that construction of a second unit at the Groton Generation Station will not have a significant impact on the surrounding air quality, water quality, socioeconomics, aesthetics, ambient noise levels, local traffic, flood plains, wetlands, prime farm land, federally listed or endangered species or critical habitat, or historic properties.  

Construction of Groton Generation Station Unit 2 began May 29. Shaffer says he hopes to begin using the second unit in June 2008 to satisfy a rapidly increasing demand for power.

Project facts

Capacity:	Approximately 95 megawatts of peaking capacity
Location:	Five miles south of Groton, SD
Project manager:	Dick Shaffer
Fuel:	Natural gas
Turbine:	General Electric LMS100 simple-cycle gas
Project status:	Construction stage

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