The Arrowhead Emergency Generating Station is an 18-megawatt, diesel-powered emergency standby electric generator built by Great River Energy and Arrowhead Electric Cooperative to help improve the reliability of electric service in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota.
The facility is located near the Arrowhead Electric Cooperative substation at Colvill, Minn., approximately 10 miles east of Grand Marais, Minn.
In the past, when a storm damaged the area’s only transmission line, electric service for the entire region was interrupted for several hours. This generation facility helps to isolate the impact of any transmission outage and ensure that the lights stay on for as many members as possible.
The standby generator runs approximately seven to 10 hours a year, depending on the number of storms or other events that damage the transmission system. The generator also runs approximately one hour each month for testing.