Cheri Schantz, tour guide for The Coteau Properties Company’s Freedom Mine near Beulah, ND, leads West River Electric employees into the mine.
Daryl Hill, Basin Electric tour guide, walks West River Electric employees through the model room at Antelope Valley Station.
“It just blows my mind that Dakota Gas has that where their power comes from,” says Bonnie Almeida, technology,” says Ritter, West River customer service West River customer service representative. representative. Driving further into the mine, West River employRitter also finds Basin Electric’s wind projects and ees get to see a dragline up close, after the machine nearby Antelope Valley Station interesting, siting their is stopped and the swing radius is safe to enter. They significant role in the cooperative’s generation portfolio. learn there are about 500 employees at the site, and “We’ve done a couple of tours in West River’s The Coteau Properties Company’s goal is to keep territory to see what the linemen do, but it’s really them all safe. neat to see where the power actually comes from,” As the tour bus makes its way to the nearby she says. “I had no idea turbines could be controlled Antelope Valley Station, pheasants and a whitetail deer from Basin Electric Headquarters.” can be seen along the road. The Dick Johnson, West River CEO group learns that Coteau and Basin This trip helps our and general manager, smiles as his Electric firmly believe in restoring employees get to know Basin employees talk about the surrounding mined land to as good or better Electric better. Seeing this technology. shape than it was originally found. technology firsthand and shar“This trip helps our employees Upon reaching Antelope ing it through word of mouth get to know Basin Electric better,” Valley, the West River group is important. says Johnson, who always finds new follows Hill into the plant’s model Dick Johnson questions to ask when he visits the room. He points out such features cooperative’s facilities. “Seeing this as the boiler, environmental technology firsthand and sharing it controls and the turbine generator, through word of mouth is important.” then guides everyone on a tour of the actual plant. Employee reactions continue as the bus enters The The group is particularly interested in the plant’s Coteau Properties Company’s Freedom Mine, under ash and water discharge. Hill explains ash is hauled the guidance of the mine’s tour guide, Cheri Schantz. out to be used to make other products, and water “That is one big truck,” says one woman upon only leaves the plant through evaporation. watching it being loaded by a front-end loader, and “In my humble opinion, this is the prettiest power hearing Schantz report that each of the loader tires plant in North Dakota,” Hill says. costs $85,000. “Aren’t they just amazing?” whispers Upon leaving Antelope Valley, West River another as a nearby haul truck transports 300 tons of employees no doubt have a lot of information to take coal to the unloading area a few miles away. home. But what they’re encouraged to remember “I really enjoyed the coal tour, just because that’s above all else is, at the end of the day, Basin Electric not something that you think of every day when you’re truly values its members. They are who Basin Electric talking with your members on the telephone about exists to serve.
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