WASHINGTON, June 14, 2017 - In partnership with Minnesota Power, Dairyland Power Cooperative will develop a combined cycle natural gas facility along the Nemadji River in Superior, Wisconsin, adjacent to the service territories of both partners.
Barbara Nick, Dairyland’s president and CEO, says the 525-550 megawatt (MW) Nemadji Trail Energy Center facility will be a significant component of the company’s ongoing “Preferred Plan” for resource diversification. The company says the Energy Center will provide “an agile and affordable resource” that supports the major wind and solar energy investments that Dairyland continues to implement.
“We’ve talked for a long time about the need to add natural gas as a renewable-enabling resource,” says Nick. “Dairyland’s resource diversification strategy enables renewable forms of generation and ensures reliability, sustainability and affordability. Natural gas plants provide critical back-up to intermittent renewable sources of power, like solar and wind. The Nemadji Trail Energy Center will respond on demand, providing the energy required by our membership and Minnesota Power’s customers exactly when they need it — at the flip of a switch.”
