(Spencer)– Ground was broken Tuesday on the addition of an 80-megawatt natural gas-fired generating turbine to be built at the Earl Wisdom Generating station five miles west of Spencer.
Dale Ahrends, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Corn Belt Power Cooperative says the site was selected for several reasons, including the fact they already own the land; the existing transmission facilities; the proximity of a rail line; and the fact they have enough people already on staff at the site to run the additional facility.
Power generated at the station will be sold to northwest Iowa rural electric cooperatives with the excess being sold to Basin Electric of Bismarck, North Dakota.
Wisdom Unit two will take 11 months to construct. Shipment of the generator will take place before June 30th. The first firing of the new turbine is slated for February 3rd, 2004, with the new unit fully operational by March 8th, 2004.
(Story from Danielle Hitchings of sister station KDWD Hot 100 in Spencer.)
