Otter Tail Power Company completes Astoria Station

Otter Tail Power Company completes Astoria Station Main Photo

4 May 2021


Devils Lake - After years of planning and two years of construction and testing, Otter Tail Power Company’s Astoria Station now is part of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) energy market, allowing MISO to economically dispatch the unit. Located in Deuel County, South Dakota, this 245-megawatt (MW) simple-cycle natural gas combustion turbine stands ready and able to generate reliable electricity Otter Tail Power customers can count on.

Offering flexible operations

This quick starter is nimble and capable of swiftly adapting as energy demand fluctuates and market conditions change. The company designed Astoria Station to meet customers’ future energy needs, replace expiring capacity purchase agreements, and prepare for the 2021 retirement of its 1950s-era 140-MW coal-fired Hoot Lake Plant in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. It provides a reliable backstop for the Merricourt Wind Energy Center, which came on line in December 2020, and additional wind and solar resources. “Astoria Station’s natural gas combustion turbine is able to ramp up quickly—generating electricity in less than ten minutes—filling gaps when customer demand for energy is high or conditions for renewable energy generation aren’t ideal,” said Otter Tail Power President Tim Rogelstad.

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