Laramie River Station (Tours)

The Laramie River Station (LRS) is a coal-fired electric generating station located six miles east of Wheatland, WY. It is recognized as one of the most highly efficient, cleanest-operating electric generating stations technically feasible. The plant's sophisticated environmental control equipment, which cost more than $300 million, protects the land, air and water.  Laramie River Station itself was constructed for a cost of $1.6 billion and has a total generating capacity of 1,650 megawatts (MW).  LRS is owned by the Missouri Basin Power Project (MBPP), a group of six consumer-owned electric utilities of which Basin Electric is project manager. Because of this unique cooperative arrangement, LRS represents one of the largest consumer-owned regional joint power supply programs in the United States.  The plant has three units, each rated at 550,000 KW. Units 1, 2 and 3 began operation in 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively.  Water for steam generation and cooling at LRS comes from Grayrocks Reservoir, six miles east of the plant. Sub-bituminous coal is shipped by train to the plant from strip mines near Gillette, WY. The coal is supplied by Western Fuels Association, a cooperative fuel supplier for consumer-owned utilities. Free public tours of Laramie River Station's facilities are available as follows. Tour times are Central time. To schedule a tour or for more information, contact Daryl Hill, dhill@bepc.com or phone 701-223-0441.