Coal Creek Power Plant, North Dakota

Coal Creek Power Plant is located just south of Underwood, Wyoming, a bit east of the Missouri River, from which it draws its water supply. The plant is home to two coal-fired units, whose combined output capacity is around 1,100MW, making it the largest power plant in the state. Units 1 and 2 have output capacities of 550MW each, becoming operational in 1979 and 1980 respectively. The plant is owned and operated by Great Basin Energy, an electrical generation and transmission cooperative based in Minnesota. The electricity produced by the plant is converted to DC to travel directly for 436 miles via a DC transmission line known as the CU Line, to the Dickson Converter Station, in Buffalo, Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis, from where it is distributed throughout the state of Minnesota. The plant uses around 8 million tons of lignite (considered the lowest grade of coal) annually, which is supplied by the nearby Falkirk Mine, which is owned by The Falkirk Mining Company, a subsidiary of North American Coal Corporation. There are several major power plants fed by adjacent coal strip mines in this area, northwest of Bismarck, and south of Lake Sakakawea.