POWER July 2010 - 62

ELECTRIC POWER 2010: WHERE THE GENCOS MEET
PRB Coal Users' Group Celebrates
a Decade of Achievement
The 2010 Powder River Basin Users' Group (PRBCUG) commemorated its 10th
anniversary with 354 registered members (210 of whom were from operating
companies) for its three-and-a-half-day annual meeting in Baltimore
this May. The meeting's Grand Sponsor was Benetech and its Plant Professionals
group.
By Randy Rahm, CoalTech Consultants Inc.
T
he Powder River Basin Coal Users'
Group (PRBCUG) is dedicated to providing
the power industry with essential
information required for the safe and efficient
handling and burning of Powder River Basin
coal. Education is the essential ingredient of a
proactive program that safely and effectively
manages PRB coal use, and education is the
focus of our annual meetings. Sharing experiences,
good and bad, improves the industry's
understanding of the peculiarities of burning
PRB coal. The group's interactive forum, colocated
with the ELECTRIC POWER Conference
& Exhibition (EP), gives members
the opportunity to discuss PRB issues with
their peers and make new friends whom they
can call when the next problem unexpectedly
appears at their plant. Here's a roundup of
some of the most memorable aspects of the
group's 10th anniversary meeting.
Plant of the Year Winner
The annual EP Power Plant Awards banquet
took place on the evening of May 17 and included
259 PRBCUG delegates among the
315 attendees. As part of the evening's festivities,
the award for the PRBCUG's Plant
of the Year was presented to Xcel Energy's
Tolk Station and Savage-Tolk Energy Services
(Figure 1). In a unique arrangement,
Savage owns and operates the fuel-handling
system at Tolk.
Join Us in Chicago
for Next Year's
PRBCUG Meeting
The PRBCUG Board of Directors invites
you to attend the next annual meeting in
Chicago on May 10-12, 2011, at the Donald
E. Stephens Convention Center, colocated
with the annual ELECTRIC POWER
Conference. More information is available
at www.prbcoals.com.
62
www.powermag.com
POWER | July 2010
The Tolk Station and the Savage operations
base their success on their culture. Tolk
is a well-maintained and well-operated facility
from rail receiving to the switchyard. The
Tolk Station and Savage-Tolk Energy Services
are hosting an open house on September
14, 2010. This is one plant you do not want
to miss the opportunity to visit.
Recognition of
Outstanding Students
Each year the PRBCUG sponsors a number
of outstanding students from universities and
colleges across the U.S. to attend EP and the
PRBCUG's annual meeting. This is an allexpense-paid
trip for the students, mostly
juniors in college, and an opportunity to be
exposed to the coal-fired utility industry and
the vendors that service this industry. It is the
2. Tomorrow's leaders. Seven college students each received an Achievement Recognition
Certificate from the PRBCUG for their outstanding achievements. From left to right, back row:
Randy Rahm, PRBCUG executive director; Clint King, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology;
Ara Casada, University of Oklahoma; David Blake, West Virginia University; Brad Harris, Missouri
S&T; Greg Krieser, PRBCUG chairman; and Bob Taylor, PRBCUG secretary. From left to right,
front row: Jennifer Ward, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; Katrina Nolte, Missouri
S&T; and Vaidyanath Ramachandran, West Virginia University. Source: POWER
1. Xcel's excellent accomplishment.
The PRBCUG's Plant of the Year
award went to Xcel Energy's Tolk Station and
Savage-Tolk Energy Services. From left to
right, Byron Lawrence, general manager, Savage-Tolk
Energy Services; David Low, plant
director, Xcel Energy's Tolk Station; and Greg
Krieser, PRBCUG chairman. Source: POWER

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POWER July 2010

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