Dec. 4, 2024 update

Standing Bear Lake Station successfully fired up its first units on Monday, Dec. 2, on its way to complete the “first fire” milestone on all nine engines using fuel oil. We estimate it may take approximately one week to start each of the nine engines on fuel oil. The process will be done with fuel oil first. It will then need to be repeated with natural gas.

As part of the first-fire process with fuel oil, close neighbors or passersby may see some visible black smoke coming out of one of the exhaust stacks at the plant. When first fire begins with natural gas at a later time, the smoke will be grey at first.

The duration of the first-fire process is roughly the time needed for the unit to complete start up. For the units at Standing Bear Lake Station, this is approximately five minutes per engine, and this process is repeated 20-25 times per engine, but the first one will be the most noticeable. Numerous starts and stops are necessary to test and fine-tune the units, as well as support safety, reliability and environmental compliance.

The testing of all engines on both fuel sources should take about six to seven weeks.

The plant is expected to be complete and ready to start generating electricity commercially in early 2025.