IMPORTANT: Always call the business before going to take the factory tour. We try and keep our data s up-to-date as possible but you should always check first.

Company
Spirit Mound Station
46071 310th Street, Vermillion, SD   57069-0393
Latitude: 42.896445   Longitude: -96.989158
Email Address: [email protected]
http://www.basinelectric.com/sms.htm

Description
The Spirit Mound Station near Vermillion, SD, was built to help meet the peak electric requirements of Basin Electric's member systems. The oil-fired station is operated on an "as needed" basis during periods of extreme hot or cold temperatures (when the demand for electricity exceeds the capacity of base-load facilities), increased agricultural loads (including irrigation) and emergencies.

Construction on the $30 million peaking station began in December 1976, and commercial operation began in the spring of 1978. The 120,000-kilowatt plant consists of two 60,000- kilowatt combustion units that are operated from the plant or remotely from the Leland Olds Station near Stanton, ND.

Spirit Mound Station was built adjacent to a fuel pipeline, near existing transmission facilities and close to existing load centers to minimize plant costs and environmental impacts. The station meets or exceeds all state and Federal air and noise pollution control standards.

Even though the Spirit Mound Station does not operate often, it plays an important role in maintaining system reliability. Meeting the electricity needs for rural electric consumers in the region has many complex components -- equipment failure, uncertainty of predicting power needs, weather and fuel supply. The best insurance for dealing with all of these problems is reserves -- spare generating capacity that can be called on immediately when needed.

Hours
Free public tours of Spirit Mound Station's facilities are available as follows. Tour times are Central time. To schedule a tour or for more information, contact Daryl Hill, [email protected] or phone 701-223-0441.