Go fishing on wetland ponds and learn about wind, solar and biomass energy during the grand opening for the Faribault Energy Park this Saturday in Faribault.

A carnival is also part of the event. You can take a spin on one of six carnival rides and enjoy fair food. 

The energy plant, which produces power for Chaska, uses clean-burning natural gas and renewable biomass resources. For more info on the event and the energy plant, read below.

 -Shannon Fiecke

What: Grand Opening of Faribault Energy Park – an electric power facility that defies convention. It produces "green" energy for Minnesota, it serves as a "working classroom" for area students and it includes a recreation area for the public on its attractive campus.

Chaska residents have a new source of power generated from clean-burning natural gas and renewable biomass resources at the Faribault Energy Park.

The facility, owned by the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, is now operating a "combined cycle." The main source of power is a turbine powered by burning natural gas. The second cycle is another turbine powered by excess heat from the natural gas turbine and supplemented by burning liquids from renewable, or "biomass," sources such as recycled vegetable oil, soy oil and camelina oil. The result is highly efficient production with low emissions. Capacity is 265-megawatts, or enough electricity to power about 265,000 home per day.

"This is an important win for Minnesota," said Dave Pokorney, MMPA chairman and Chaska city administrator, in a written release. "Faribault Energy Park will mean reliable, economical power for the state, while balancing the mandate for electricity from renewable resources.

Pokorney said Faribault Energy Park will be among the cleanest-burning, most efficient electrical generation plants in the Midwest — part of the evolution toward greener power. The natural gas portion of the facility has been operating since 2005, and the addition of the second generator brings the project to completion.

Besides Chaska, utility agencies in the following communities belong to the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency: Anoka, Arlington, Browntown, Buffalo, Shakopee, East Grand Forks, Le Sueur, North St. Paul, Olivia and Winthrop. Power from Faribault Energy Park serves these communities, and excess power will be sold to other utilities in the region.

In addition, the facility will serve a "working classroom" about green energy production.

Students and residents can tour the facility and view the control room and one of the massive turbines. Set among the facility’s 20 acres of wetlands will be educational displays demonstrating alternative energy sources, including hydro, solar and wind energy.

The wetlands serve as a rainwater recovery and filtration system that stores rainwater for producing steam and cooling equipment.

Avant Energy Services designed the facility, which cost approximately $180 million — the largest investment in Faribault’s history.

Avant president Derick Dahlen said in a press release that emissions at the Faribault plant are dramatically less compared to conventional power plants.

Faribault Energy Park will produce less than three percent of the nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide as a similar-capacity coal burning plant. Although there are many variables, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions are expected to be roughly half of a coal plant.