PRAIRIE STATE GENERATING COMPANY HOSTS EDUCATIONAL TOUR FOR REND LAKE COLLEGE STUDENTS
MARISSA, Ill. (April 3, 2024) – Prairie State Generating Company opened its doors last week to a group of students from Rend Lake College's Agricultural Mechanics, Diesel Technology, and Heavy Equipment Tech programs. The exclusive tour of its coal mine and power plant facilities provided a unique hands-on learning experience for future technicians and mechanics.
The tour was organized by PSGC Public Relations Specialist Alyssa Lohmann Kreger. Diesel Technology Instructor Colin Jones and Heavy Equipment Technology Associate Professor Zach Vahlkamp accompanied the students, who were divided into two groups, each getting an opportunity to witness first-hand the operations of one of Illinois' most popular energy producers. Students included Isaiah Bassinger, Jason Kinzinger, Braydan Reames, Kody Kempfer, Zach Stanford, Tucker Dearmond, Connor Terry, Caleb Boulds, AJ Lenkaitis, Jacob Grommet, Dawson Abbott, Jacob Piasecki, Patrick Gill, Bryce Bieber, Wyatt Pilson, Drake Barnett, Brady Ingram, Matthew Worthington, Landon Leeper, and Richard Bassinger.
Rend Lake College students toured the Prairie State Energy Campus on March 26. FROM LEFT are; Isaiah Bassinger, Instructor Colin Jones, Jason Kinzinger, Braydan Reames, Kody Kempfer, Zach Stanford, Tucker Dearmond, Connor Terry, Caleb Boulds, AJ Lenkaitis and Jacob Grommet.
Initial reactions of the students as they first entered the coal mine and the power plant
"I was very impressed with how organized and how the machinery is being ran," Kempfer said.
Stanford shared his excitement about the tour, noting, "I was very excited to have the chance to go and that it was all new to me and how interesting it was to see how things were ran on both sides."
“I liked how they showed the process of how they take coal out of the mine to process it and ship it over to the power plant and which then they showed us how it was being burned,” Kinzinger said.
Rend Lake College students toured the Prairie State Energy Campus on March 26. FROM LEFT, are; Associate Professor Zack Vahlkamp, Dawson Abbott, Jacob Piasecki, Patrick Gill, Bryce Bieber, Wyatt Pilson, Drake Barnett, Brady Ingram, Matthew Worthington, Landon Leeper, and Richard Bassinger.
Misconceptions the students had going in that were challenged on the tour
Students were particularly impressed by the cleanliness of the underground operations and the innovative use of lime to control dust underground, which also aids in illuminating the tunnels. On the power plant side, the focus was on environmental control processes, dispelling misconceptions about emissions and revealing that steam is what you can see exiting the stack.
A memorable moment for the group was witnessing a miner navigate through the crosscut and observing the roof bolter in action. The balancing of a nickel on the generator assembly due to its stability left a lasting impression on the students.
Key takeaways from the tour
The tour also highlighted the diverse career opportunities within the energy sector beyond traditional mechanic roles. Students learned about the potential for advancement and mobility within companies like Prairie State, which values employee development and care.
"Looking towards the future, I think that this tour opened some eyes as to what goes on at a facility like Prairie State," Jones said. "Also, this tour showed the students that there are different kinds of job opportunities and career paths that they can go down and they are not just limited to a mechanic job as their career."
For more information about Prairie State Generating Company and its educational initiatives, please visit Prairie State Energy Campus.
PSGC Media Contact: Vice President, External Affairs & Organizational Strategy Alyssa Harre, Prairie State Generating Company, aharre@psgc-llc.com, 618-824-7667
RLC Media Contact: Director of Marketing & Communications Nathan Wheeler, Rend Lake College, wheelern@rlc.edu, 618-437-5321, Ext. 1234.
