There is a growing demand for electricity in Minnesota and new electric generating capacity must be built to keep up with demand. This trend is occurring all over the United States. Under a state-mandated review process, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission found that new generation capacity was needed in Minnesota and provided its approval to build the Lakefield Junction Generating Station. The plant is a peaking facility and will have a capacity of 534 megawatts, which can provide power for about 500,000 homes.
Martin County is an ideal location for new electrical generation.
Tenaska was also encouraged by the cooperation it received from Martin County and Trimont's community leaders. A peaking facility is built to supplement an electricity supply during short periods of high electrical demand such as on hot summer days when many air conditioners are running. A peaking facility can also provide electricity quickly during electrical system emergencies when large power plants or transmission lines experience unexpected outages and standby sources of electric generation are needed to ensure supply keeps up with demand. The Lakefield Junction power plant is expected to operate about 15 percent of the time and can provide full output in about 20 minutes. Tenaska operates plants in Texas, Washington, Bolivia, and Pakistan, and has six plants under construction in Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Minnesota, and Bolivia.