Xcel Energy 2004 Annual Report Download - page 12

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Xcel Energy Annual Report 2004
10
environmental protection
With our voluntary emission-reduction programs in Colorado and Minnesota, our
large and growing renewable energy portfolio and our voluntary wind energy program,
Xcel Energy is a leader in environmental protection. But beyond the high-profi le
projects, a day-to-day focus on environmental compliance and many other smaller
efforts contribute greatly to our success.
Take the French Island plant in La Crosse, Wis., for example, which takes municipal
solid waste from La Crosse County and other sources, turns it into refuse-derived fuel
and then burns it with waste wood to produce electricity. For the second year running,
French Island fi nished the year with no environmental exceedances, a signifi cant
achievement. Those results follow on the heels of an air-quality control system replace-
ment project in which employees worked with county, state and federal offi cials to
come up with the best solutions to produce power, protect the environment, deal with
the county’s waste and make renewable technologies work.
In 2004, we celebrated the fact that over the last 15 years 189 peregrine falcons have
fl edged from nest boxes on the stacks of Xcel Energy power plants. Working with
the Raptor Resource Project, we take pride in the fact that the peregrine is no longer
listed as an endangered species. And peregrines aren’t the only birds of interest. We
work actively to promote habitats for osprey, eagles, blue birds, owls, hawks and
kestrels. Other creatures fi nd sanctuary in the areas around our power plants, which
often function as nature preserves.
To use resources wisely in our daily operations, Xcel Energy recycles coal ash, the
primary byproduct of electric generation, into concrete products, roadbed material
and soil-stabilization products. We also use wastewater for cooling and other purposes
at our power plants. In addition to reusing our own water, we purchase and re-treat
municipal wastewater from nearby communities.
The company strongly supports the development of renewable energy technologies
through our Renewable Development Fund, which awards grants to develop projects
and conduct research. In 2004, we recommended to the Minnesota Public Utilities
Commission that 28 projects receive a total of $26.5 million. We also operate a
Renewable Energy Trust in Colorado for customers interested in funding renewable
energy projects at nonprofi t organizations and K-12 schools.
aleader in environmental protection