When Great River Energy employees who worked remotely the last two years due to the pandemic returned to the office earlier this month, their workspace looked and functioned much in the same way it did in March 2020 but with the addition of several air quality safety upgrades. The nature of COVID-19’s ability to spread …
A collaborative project between electric cooperatives and organizations with a vested interest in the success of rural communities was recently recognized by the Environmental Initiative during its 2022 award season. ‘Sota Grown, a two-year demonstration project to sustainably grow leafy greens year-round for Minnesota residents using a hydroponic growing system inside a shipping container, was selected to …
‘Sota Grown earns recognition for rural vitality Read More »
The motto of the Minnesota National Guard — “Always ready, always there.” — also rings true to the men and women who provide electricity to cooperative members across Minnesota. It should come as no surprise that many employees of Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives come from military backgrounds — and that cooperatives strive …
Great River Energy’s long-term peregrine falcon residents returned in late February to the Elk River, Minnesota, nest box. Brooklyn, the male, returned for an eighth year and Breezy (pictured), the female, returned for a fifth year. With the help of an Eagle Scout and the Raptor Resource Project, Great River Energy first installed the nesting …
The power supply transition Great River Energy is currently undergoing has garnered support not only from its member-owner cooperatives but the member-consumers those co-ops serve as well, according to results of a recent survey. More than half (54%) of the 800 member-consumer respondents in the cooperative’s first survey since announcing its intention to sell or …
Survey results show member support for renewables Read More »
Firefighting is a human endeavor, with selfless individuals working to protect people and their property. But it is also an equipment-intensive operation, with critical vehicles and gear requiring consistent and routine maintenance. Rural communities across Minnesota often face difficulties procuring the funding necessary to maintain or replace that equipment, resulting in communities at risk. Fortunately, …
Rural fire assistance a priority for cooperatives Read More »
Great River Energy recently received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The cooperative joins more than 840 major U.S. businesses that earned top marks this year. “We are proud …
Great River Energy earns top score on Corporate Equality Index 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 »
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 …
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 …