Feb 26, 2006 - 02:06:10 CST
Continued shortages of PContinued shortages of Portland cement in many parts of the nation during the past year helped create record sales of fly ash from Coal Creek Station near Underwood.High-quality fly ash is used throughout the Upper Midwest to replace a portion of Portland cement in concrete production. Concrete made with fly ash is stronger and more durable than concrete made with cement alone, industry officials say, making it a value-added and highly desired product.
A record 417,000 tons of fly ash - a lightweight, fine ash produced when coal is burned in power plants - was sold from Coal Creek Station in 2005 by Headwaters Resources.
"Coal Creek Station produces some of the best fly ash in the nation," says Al Christianson, business development consultant for Great River Energy. "That is reflected in the steady growth of sales in the past 10 years."
The increased sales also have resulted in environmental benefits, he said, including a reduction in landfill acres - as much of the fly ash is now beneficially used - and a reduction in greenhouse gases since fly ash is used to replace a portion of the cement that requires more energy to produce.
Coal Creek Station - North Dakota's largest power plant - features two units with a total generation capacity of nearly 1,200 megawatts. The power plant is located about 50 miles north of Bismarck.
Tops in wind power
U.S. power producer FPL Energy, which has constructed wind-farm projects near Wilton, Edgley, Kulm and Highmore, S.D., during the last two years, tied Spanish utility Iberdrola in the race for 2005 market leadership in global wind power ownership, according to Emerging Energy Research's annual Wind Plant Ownership Rankings.
Each company is estimated to have 3,260 megawatts of wind power in service, on a net ownership basis.
FPL Energy and Iberdrola have battled for leadership in global wind power ownership for the last three years. Iberdrola overtook FPL Energy in 2004 after adding 905 megawatts of new wind farms during the year, but in 2005, FPL added 502 megawatts to close the gap.
EER, an independent research and advisory company that provides advice about new energy technologies, ranks the global top 20 wind-farm owners on a net-ownership basis, which together account for approximately one-third of wind power capacity worldwide.
Babcock & Brown, an Australian financial firm, experienced the most dramatic growth in 2005 through acquisition and the fruition of earlier investments in the United States and Spain, the year's two hottest markets. Babcock & Brown rose to the fourth largest wind farm owner in 2005 after not making the top 20 in 2004.
"A new breed of investment firm-backed wind players is evolving that aims to assemble a regional or even global project portfolio," says Keith Hays, EER research director.
Strong growth in the U.S. market will continue to provide opportunities for FPL Energy to vie for global market leadership in 2006, and for others to emerge onto the global wind power scene.
Both the United States and Canada experienced record installations of wind power plants in 2005, but an even bigger boost is expected in 2006 when new installations in North America will grow by more than 50 percent, according to a recent study by EER.
EER estimates that new wind power plant installations in North America will surpass 4,000 megawatts in 2006, compared with 2,700 megawatts in 2005, and may grow by nearly 6,000 megawatts per year by 2010, if the U.S. government continues with favorable regulatory policies.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative buys the entire product produced at some FPL wind farms, while FPL builds, owns, operates and maintains the facilities.
Daryl Hill, news media coordinator for Basin Electric Power Cooperative, said the relationship between Basin and FPL is based on a mutual commitment to renewable energy.
He says the goal of Basin Electric is to meet 10 percent of its member needs with renewable resources by 2010.
(Reach reporter Nathan Denton at 250-8261 or nathan.denton@;bismarcktribune.com)
Jane Edgley wrote on Mar 13, 2007 8:37 AM:
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