Action shot of the team performing maintenance on Unit 1 at Antelope Valley Station.
The team at Antelope Valley Station, a coal-fueled dispatchable generation facility located near Beulah, North Dakota, completed routine maintenance on Unit 1 during a planned outage from April 6–June 6.
This scheduled maintenance outage is part of Antelope Valley Station’s standard operations cycle. Every two years, Unit 1 or Unit 2 undergoes maintenance to ensure the continued reliability and performance of the system. This regular maintenance helps identify potential issues as well as necessary repairs or upgrades to minimize the risk of unscheduled downtime.
Unit 1 was initially scheduled to be down for eight weeks; however, the outage extended to nearly nine weeks due to a delay in the turbine bearing overhaul.
“After the team conducted their inspections, several areas in the boiler were identified that required additional repairs,” said Duane Poitra, plant superintendent at Antelope Valley Station. “During this outage, it was also decided to coat the ductwork to minimize leakage and prevent atmospheric corrosion. Furthermore, the thorough inspections provided valuable data that will help improve the planning and execution of future outages.”
Scheduled outages have a significant positive impact on our members by enhancing unit reliability.
“Spending approximately eight weeks every four years for these outages allows us to conduct essential repairs and maintenance, ensuring that the facility operates efficiently and reliably,” said Poitra. “These planned outages ultimately improve our ability to supply dependable energy to our members.”
