When severe winter weather threatens the power line system, Great River Energy’s system operators, line technicians and field services crews work quickly to prepare for what may come and restore the system when power lines or substations are damaged. The night of Dec. 15, a rare December thunderstorm rolled in. It caused damage to Great …
Historic holiday wind damages power poles, substations Read More »
Electric cooperatives do more than just provide a necessary service to their members; they also have a vested interest in the success of the communities they serve. They show a commitment to these communities in various ways, including monetary donations to nonprofit organizations. Between Great River Energy and one of its member-owner cooperatives, 20 food …
Co-ops donate year-end dollars to fire departments, food pantries Read More »
Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) will soon begin using Great River Energy’s trunked mobile radio (TMR) system. This is the two-way radio system Great River Energy’s field technicians use to communicate with each other and system operations from the field. MVEC is the 19th member-owner cooperative to join the system. Chris Leleux, director of infrastructure …
Trunked mobile radio extended to Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative Read More »
Agreement will deliver power from one of the region’s largest renewable resources to Twin Cities via high-voltage direct-current transmission line. Great River Energy has reached an agreement in principle with Apex Clean Energy to receive renewable energy from a 400-megawatt (MW) wind energy project in McLean County, North Dakota. The Discovery Wind project, expected to …
Recent actions by energy regulators in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., have moved Great River Energy further along in the transition of its power supply portfolio. Approvals by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will help facilitate Great River Energy’s sale of Coal Creek Station and its high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) …
Key approvals advance Great River Energy portfolio transition Read More »
Two-and-a-half years after the retirement of the Elk River Energy Recovery Station, the power plant site now resembles how it likely looked a century ago. The Elk River Energy Recovery Station began operations in the early 1950s using coal as the fuel source. In the early 1960s, the site hosted a federal nuclear reactor, which …
The end of the year is a time for reflection. For Great River Energy, that means looking back and taking stock of all the ways it upheld the founding principles of what it means to be a cooperative, including “concern for community.” The world needed to adjust and adapt for another year due to the …
Demitria Leigh Hartl was driving on a rain-and-snow-slickened Highway 37 outside Hibbing, Minnesota, on Nov. 11 when she suddenly lost control of her car. Next thing she knew, she was trapped upside-down as her vehicle sank into a rain-filled ditch and icy water rushed in. Luckily, Lake Country Power (LCP) lineworkers Tim Rasmusson, Cody Vredenberg, …
More than 80 Great River Energy employees were engaged in a crisis management exercise organized by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in November. The two-day exercise, named GridEx VI, was designed to enhance the coordination of cyber and physical security resources and practices within the industry, as well as communication with government partners …
While temperatures are dropping and snow is starting to fall now, Great River Energy has already taken steps to prepare for whatever impacts this weather may bring. “Resilience” has become a common focus for electric cooperatives and utilities around the country as extreme weather events, such as this year’s polar vortex, become more common. “The …
Ensuring the electric grid can bounce back quickly Read More »