Lignite Lessons

andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t global-warmingandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Global Warmingandamp lt aandamp gt and andamp quot going greenandamp quot are terms that our young people use today on a regular basis And workers in the energy industry are showcasing their environmental efforts to draw in future employees Our Amber Schatz shows us why teachers hope to better understand and pass on how it all works NATS From the loud humming of the machines To the heat of the workplace These teachers are learning what it s really like inside a power plant Lyndon Anderson Great River Energy andamp quot The typical questions we would get is how much andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t coalandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt coalandamp lt aandamp gt do you use at the plant how much water do you use what are the environmental standards andamp quot Energy economics and environment are the three E s they re focusing on for this year s andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t lignite-energy-councilandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Lignite Energy Councilandamp lt aandamp gt seminar And for educators touring the Coal Creek station power plant and Falkirk mine it s an eye opening experience Steve Dengerud Litchfield MN andamp quot The amount of energy they create is incredible and amount of coal they burn is incredible andamp quot Along with helping them better teach how electricity is made in coal country Teachers also learn about the latest efforts they re making at power plants to protect the environment Anderson andamp quot We remove the sulfur dioxide we remove fly-ash we take a lot of steps andamp quot We do have waste-steam that goes to andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t ethanolandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt ethanolandamp lt aandamp gt plant Instead of landfilling fly-ash we utilize that for a high value product for replacement in road construction andamp quot Dengerud andamp quot I ll definitely relate that to students not everything you see on tv is honest and true andamp quot It s very interesting the amount of environmental concern that the mines and energy companies have andamp quot And with the average age of workers here nearing 50 That s just one more appealing lesson for possible future workers andamp quot We provide stable base load power which means seven days a week 24 hours a day we provide it reliably low cost with making sure we protect environment It s a good stable long term industry because everybody uses electricity andamp quot Amber Schatz KX News Coal Creek Station will soon have cleaner coal through a andamp quot dryfiningandamp quot process Where they dry and refine the lignite Construction of the Dryfine feedstock will hopefully be finished by the end of this year