Great River Energy reached an agreement to sell the Coal Creek Station power plant to Rainbow Energy Center, LLC. The sale of Coal Creek Station will avert the plant’s closure, which was scheduled for the second half of 2022. Rainbow Energy Center will purchase and operate the 1,151-megawatt (MW) power plant using current plant employees […]
Power supply transformation continues Read More »
After 40 years serving Minnesota cooperative members, North Dakota’s largest and most efficient power plant will continue operations under local ownership. Rainbow Energy Center, LLC (Rainbow Energy Center) has reached an agreement to purchase Coal Creek Station from Great River Energy and operate the 1,151-megawatt (MW) power plant using current plant employees they hire. Nexus
Rainbow Energy Center to purchase Coal Creek Station Read More »
Great River Energy’s system performed well in early June despite the stretch of temperatures repeatedly reaching above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. “We did not experience any overloading on the transmission system, and we did not need to make any special operational changes except for some equipment maintenance work schedule changes,” said Great River Energy Operations and
Electric system passes early summer test Read More »
Great River Energy’s Vice President and Chief Transmission Officer Priti Patel was recently named a Twin Cities Business 2021 Notable BIPOC Executive. The magazine featured notable BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) executives who have shown the ability to effect change, demonstrated a willingness to share expertise, and exhibited leadership in specific initiatives or programs
Patel named 2021 Notable BIPOC Executive Read More »
A bill led by electric cooperatives to modernize and expand the state’s energy conservation program for utilities was signed into law by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz last month. Receiving strong bipartisan support from both the House and Senate, the Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Act updates and expands the state’s Conservation Improvement Program (CIP). The
Minnesota law recognizes electricity’s benefits Read More »
Plant operators Preston Weisenburger and Jeremy Schmaltz were traveling to Great River Energy’s Spiritwood Station power plant at 4:30 a.m. on April 18 when they saw a semi had rolled into the ditch on North Dakota Highway 52. They were the first on the scene and responded quickly by calling 911. While Weisenburger was on
Good Neighbor Award: Employees assist at scene of semi rollover Read More »
Humble bees, butterflies and other bugs pollinate more than 70% of the world’s crops. Great River Energy and other electric cooperatives are among the many organizations that have focused on the plight of these pollinators and are working to re-establish their native habitat. National Pollinator Week, recognized from June 21 to June 27, is an
Making a buzz for pollinators Read More »
The four young falcons residing in Great River Energy’s peregrine falcon nesting box in Elk River were banded last month. Representatives from the Raptor Resource Project conducted the banding and examined the young falcons. The two females and two males were deemed healthy and then named Joe’l, Eleanor, Todd and Sawyer. With the help of
Falcons banded in Elk River Read More »
Cooperative annual meetings are a time for members to gather, cast their ballots for board of director candidates, ask questions, learn more about their co-op and share a meal together. But with the pandemic taking away the ability for large groups to meet indoors for more than a year now, co-ops have needed to adapt.
Drive-in meetings keep members safe and engaged Read More »
The energy industry has always been driven by smart people and new ideas. Scholarship programs funded and organized by Great River Energy are designed to provide training and education for the next generation to lead electric cooperatives. Great River Energy recently awarded dozens of scholarships to students attending high schools in North Dakota and Minnesota
Scholarships help future energy leaders Read More »