Steven Johnson was recently announced by the Itasca-Mantrap Electric Cooperative board of directors as the cooperative’s new president and chief executive officer. Johnson, who began his duties Dec. 2, succeeds Christine Fox, who retired after 10 years with Itasca-Mantrap. Johnson has more than 25 years of experience in the electric cooperative industry, serving most recently …
Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative (TWEC) recently recognized the achievement of one of its most esteemed leaders as he reached 50 years of service to the cooperative’s board of directors. Mike Thorson has played a pivotal role in guiding and shaping TWEC’s mission and vision since 1974, ensuring that the cooperative’s members benefit from reliable and affordable …
Minnesota electric cooperatives send lineworkers to restore power in communities ravaged by hurricanes Unprecedented times call for an unprecedented response. After evaluating the mass devastation caused to their communities by Hurricane Helene, several electric cooperatives in South Carolina put out a call for mutual aid to help restore power after the storm caused outages to …
President Joe Biden announced the first round of finalists for the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, part of the administration’s efforts to boost clean energy investments in rural communities, at an event held Sept. 5 in Westby, Wisconsin. Great River Energy was among the cooperatives announced as a finalist. The New ERA program aims …
Great River Energy named finalist for clean energy funding Read More »
Great River Energy, along with its member-owner cooperatives Cooperative Light & Power (CLP) and Lake Country Power (LCP), recently partnered with Minnesota Power for the second annual Electric Avenue at the Lake Superior Harvest Festival held at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth, Minnesota. Approximately 8,000 festival attendees had the opportunity to see a wide variety …
Festival highlights plug-in vehicles, electric safety Read More »
A partnership between two electric cooperatives and a Minnesota golf course is helping to showcase how electric technology used in new ways can function in the real world. Stearns Electric Association teamed up with its wholesale power provider, Great River Energy, and Mean Green Electric Mowers last summer to lease an electric lawnmower to Lynx …
Electric lawnmower turns golf course even greener, cleaner Read More »
Great River Energy recently welcomed a busload of Lake Country Power (LCP) member-owners who traveled from the Iron Range to Maple Grove to learn more about where their power comes from. The group of 50 people were given a tour of several Great River Energy facilities, including the headquarters, Elk River campus as well as …
Members travel to learn how their power is made and moved Read More »
Two separate sections of Great River Energy transmission line sustained damage over the course of a week of severe weather, but recent grid modernization efforts allowed power to be restored quickly with minimal disruption to members. Straight line winds on July 31 downed more than a dozen structures on a 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line spanning …
Grid modernization helps crews restore power quickly after storms Read More »
A group of electric cooperative lineworkers from Minnesota and Iowa traveled 2,800 miles in June to transform a rural Guatemalan village, improving lives for generations. The trip was part of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s International Program, which since 1962 has provided opportunities for volunteers to illuminate villages and homes in impoverished countries around …
Cooperative lineworkers electrify Guatemalan village Read More »
Employees from Great River Energy and member-owner cooperative Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC), located in Jordan, Minnesota, recently teamed up to install a used transmission line pole on Mystic Lake Casino property for an osprey nest. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community tribe, which owns Mystic Lake Casino, originally contacted MVEC for help with this project …