Severe Weather Awareness Week, April 13-17, is a great time for Minnesotans to prepare for unpredictable and extreme Midwestern weather. Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives and customers are always working to keep the power flowing to homes, farms and businesses. “Severe weather increases the likelihood of electric service interruptions, even though outages are […]
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Safety is one of Great River Energy’s core values. Every employee at Great River Energy is empowered to speak up about safety or stop work if there is a concern, regardless of role or tenure. It is part of Great River Energy’s culture to encourage employees to raise safety concerns, halt work when necessary and
Electric co-ops showcase commitment to safety Read More »
Safety manager receives Good Neighbor Award for stepping in and potentially saving a life On the evening of March 29, Great River Energy Generation Services Manager Jackie Bentz was at a cabin with some friends, including one friend’s mother and 70-year-old boyfriend. While eating, the man began choking on his steak. He put his hand
‘Attentive eyes and ears in our communities’ Read More »
Electrical contact incident serves as reminder of importance of electrical safety, emergency preparedness Two electric cooperative crews traveling to a job site came upon an emergency situation and stopped to respond, utilizing safety protocols they’d been trained in to help the injured. Four Dakota Electric Association (DEA) employees came upon the aftermath of a semi-truck
Quick action saves a life Read More »
What began as a casual conversation has sparked a major safety initiative at Great River Energy, where dozens of employees now rely on wearable technology to enhance safety while working alone. The idea formed when Great River Energy’s Melissa Phillips, manager of field services, spoke with a technician who expressed concern about what might happen
Smartwatches help protect lone workers Read More »
Great River Energy was recognized for achievements in communications and marketing by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) for its “Be the One” safety campaign, which focuses on speaking up for safety and using stop work authority. Great River Energy received the Silver Award in the Best Strategic Communications Campaign category in NRECA’s Spotlight
Safety campaign wins national strategic communications award Read More »
Severe Weather Awareness Week is designed to remind and educate everyone about the seasonal threats from severe weather and how to avoid them. It’s also a great time to make and practice your emergency plan, refresh your emergency preparedness kit and revisit what to do should you encounter a downed power line. Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 7-11 in Minnesota. The state conducts tornado drills April 10.
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Great River Energy crews installed 11 special foundations known as “helical bucket piles” on the Portage Lake to Palisade power line project due to the lines crossing swampy land. Typical wood pole construction entails drilling a large hole, about 3 feet wide by 15 to 20 feet deep, and setting the pole in the open
Special foundations used for transmission lines crossing swampy land Read More »
Great River Energy’s Jim Zabel, telecommunications technician/electrician foreperson, saw a big red flag when he arrived at one of the cooperative’s communication tower sites to perform maintenance. He saw a contract crew digging a trench to access equipment 8 feet below ground. He also saw a problem: Nothing was preventing the trench walls from caving
Be the One: Employee speaks up and stops work for safety 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 »