Lignite: “The Region’s Best Kept Secret!”

1. Lignite: “The Region’s Best Kept Secret!” Steve Van Dyke Lignite Energy Council

2. Mining in our Region Which state is identified with copper mining? • Minnesota • Montana • North Dakota • South Dakota

3. Mining in our Region Which state is identified with gold mining? • Minnesota • Montana • North Dakota • South Dakota

4. Mining in our Region Which state is identified with iron (taconite) mining? • Minnesota • Montana • North Dakota • South Dakota

5. U.S. Coal Deposits Lignite Bituminous Anthracite Subbituminous

6. Midwest Reliability Organization

7. Average Electricity Costs

8. Regional Low-Cost Electricity

9. Who Are the Players?

10. 330+ Contractor/Suppliers 7 Utilities 8 Producers, Reserve Holders, Research Members 1 Gasification Company Lignite Energy CouncilOver 350 Members

11. Basin Electric Power CooperativeService Territory • Serves 125 distribution co-ops • 2.6 million customers • 1,568 MW from lignite • 1,681 from sub-bituminous • 1,950 employees including 500 at headquarters (Bismarck) and 350 at two lignite plants

12. Minnkota Power CooperativeService Territory Grand Forks, ND • Serves 11 distribution co-ops • 130,000 customers • 598 MW from lignite • 362 employees including 185 at HQ

13. Great River EnergyService Territory • Serves 28 distribution co-ops – about 2/3rds of Minnesota geographic area • 645,000 customers • 1,100 MW from lignite • 280 employees at HQ (Maple Grove) and 237 employees at Coal Creek Station Maple Grove

14. Lignite’s Primary Electric Service AreasRural Areas Served by Rural Electric Cooperatives Basin Electric Great River Energy Minnkota

15. Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.Electric Service Territory • Serves 120,000 electric customers • 250 MW from lignite • 258 employees at HQ (Bismarck) and 25 employees at Lewis & Clark Station and 50 employees at Heskett Station

16. Otter Tail Power CompanyService Territory • Serves 130,000 electric customers • 140 MW from lignite • 325 employees at HQ (Fergus Falls) and 80 employees at Coyote Station

17. Minnesota PowerService Territory • Serves 130,000 electric customers • 225 MW from lignite • 1,200 employees in electric operations

18. Xcel EnergyElectric Service Territory

19. Lignite’s Primary Electric Service AreasRural Areas Served by Investor-Owned Utilities Otter Tail Power Montana-Dakota Utilities Xcel Energy Minnesota Power

20. Lignite Energy Industry History • Four distinct stages of coal mining in North Dakota • Birth of the coal industry, 1873 – 1900 • Rise of commercial mining, 1900 – 1920 • From underground to surface mining, 1920 – 1941 • Emergence of lignite for electric generation, 1942 to present Source: A History of Coal Mining in North Dakota by Colleen Oihus

21. William Clark & Meriwether Lewis

22. General Custer

23. Black Butte

24. Digging From Out Crops

25. Wagon Mine

26. Immigrant Train

27. Lignite Energy Industry History • Birth of the coal industry, 1873 – 1900 • Rise of commercial mining, 1900 – 1920

28. Washburn Coal Co.

29. Horse Drawn Underground Coal Car – Beulah Mine

30. Lignite Energy Industry History • Birth of the coal industry, 1873 – 1900 • Rise of commercial mining, 1900 – 1920 • From underground to surface mining, 1920 – 1941

31. Underground Miners

32. Steam Shovel

33. Williston Power Plant

34. Knife River Station

35. Lignite Energy Industry History • Many factors affected the lignite industry over the years • The Depression – reduced economic activity • Opening the Garrison Dam – made hydro power readily available to co-ops and municipal electric systems • Drilling rigs found natural gas associated with oil

36. Garrison Dam

37. Drilling Rig

38. 4 3 2 1 0 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 Lignite Production 1920-1965North Dakota Millions of Tons Year

39. History of Power Activity • What was life like without electricity? • Invite to class a grandparent who grew up on a farm without electricity • Research the local newspaper or utility archives to find when electricity came to town • Utility history books – Energizers of the Prairie, The Power People, etc. • Who were the “Edison’s” of your community

40. Lignite Energy Industry History • Birth of the coal industry, 1873 – 1900 • Rise of commercial mining, 1900 – 1920 • From underground to surface mining, 1920 – 1941 • Emergence of lignite for electric generation, 1942 to present

41. Heskett Station • Named for MDU’s founder – R.M. Heskett

42. Leland Olds

43. Leland Olds Station

44. Stanton Station

45. Milton R. Young Station

46. Coyote Station Coyote Station

47. Coal Creek Station

48. Antelope Valley Station

49. Great River Energy’s new power station 77 MW base load 22 MW steam peaking 610,000 ton/yr beneficiated lignite Project cost…$350M Projected in-service October 2010 Spiritwood Station

50. Great Plains Synfuels Plant