History
Construction of Guernsey Power Plant began in 1925 and was completed in 1928. The original installed capacity of the plant was 4,800 kilowatts. The plant was uprated between 1992 and 1994 through replacement of the generator windings to its current installed capacity of 6,400 kilowatts.
The North Platte Project provides full service irrigation for about 226,000 acres. The North Platte River, fed by many mountain streams rising in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, is the most important river in southeastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Its waters are stored and used for irrigation and power development.
The Secretary of the Interior authorized the project on March 14, 1903. The President approved the Guernsey Dam and Power Plant on April 30, 1925 as a part of the North Platte Project, which was originally called the Sweetwater Project.
Plan
The Guernsey Dam controls river flow. Water released from Pathfinder Reservoir can be stored at this dam and released to fit varying irrigation demands. Water is released through Guernsey Power Plant. The power plant is on the right bank below the dam and has two 3,200-kilowatt generators. Power is transmitted to towns and industries down the valley over transmission lines. The electric power generated at Guernsey Power Plant is supplied to the project area by four substations and about 160 miles of transmission lines. Guernsey Power Plant is operated on a seasonal basis during the release of irrigation flows to satisfy downstream demands on the North Platte River in Wyoming and Nebraska. Construction of Guernsey Power Plant began in 1925 and was completed in 1928. The original installed capacity of the plant was 4,800 kilowatts. The plant was uprated between 1992 and 1994 through replacement of the generator windings to its current installed capacity of 6,400 kilowatts. An emergency contract was awarded and completed in FY 2003 for stabilization of rock on the hillside above the power plant and transformer deck to prevent a potentially catastrophic rockslide that might have damaged the power plant and transformers and resulted in an oil spill into the North Platte River. A replacement wicket gate greasing system was designed in FY 2004 and the new system will be installed in FY 2005. Units were rewound, new excitation equipment was installed, and major overhaul of both turbines occurred in calendar years 1993 and 1994, which accounts for high production costs in FY-1994. The switchyard at Guernsey was removed and replaced by Western Limestone substation in 1980 and 1981.
