Minnesota utility Great River Energy has issued a request for proposals for renewable energy and other power generation resources with low or no net carbon dioxide emissions.

It's seeking 300,000 - 600,000 MWh per year of new resources from eligible energy technologies.

Great River Energy is subject to the Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard, which requires electric utilities to supply an increasing percentage of their energy sales from renewable energy, reaching 25 percent by 2025.

According to the company, eligible energy technologies include wind, solar, hydroelectric of less than 100 megawatts, biomass, municipal solid waste, landfill gas and anaerobic digesters, and hydrogen produced from any of the previous resources.

Great River Energy will need about 1,200 MW of renewable resources by 2025. It currently has slightly over 200 MW of wind resources in its energy portfolio, sufficient to meet the standard through approximately 2010.

“We’re issuing this RFP to meet our member cooperatives’ energy needs and to stay well ahead of the Renewable Energy Standard requirements,” said Glen Skarbakka, Great River Energy manager of resource planning.

A nonbinding “Notice of Intent to Respond” is due on Friday, June 22, 2007. Proposals are due on Friday, July 12, 2007.

“We are most interested in projects entering commercial operation late in 2009; however, projects that come on-line earlier or later will be considered,” says Skarbakka. “Proposals for resources qualifying as Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) are particularly encouraged, as are proposals from our member cooperatives.”

A copy of the complete Request for Proposal is available here [1]. For more information about the RFP, contact Stan Selander at 763-241-2446.

In addition to renewable energy projects, Great River Energy is interested in proposals for other resources with low / no net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions relative to coal or natural gas fueled resources.

Great River Energy serves 28 member cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Great River Energy has approximately 3,100 MW of capacity for its peak summer season.