As alcohol and drug addiction has risen – doubling in the past five years – so has the need for additional treatment services and space at the Heartview Foundation in North Dakota. To help meet the growing demand for treatment facilities, Great River Energy donated $50,000 to the Heartview Foundation’s capital campaign. The donated funds […]
As a cooperative, Great River Energy is deeply committed to sustainability through solid environmental policies and practices and helping to build strong communities. Sustainability has been at the heart of the organization since it was formed in 1999. Great River Energy strives to provide its member-owner cooperatives with affordable, reliable energy in harmony with a […]
Work to provide a new home to the peregrine falcons who usually nest at Elk River Energy Recovery Station has begun. With decommissioning of the Elk River power plant underway, employees chose a new site for the falcons to return to for their typical nesting period from mid-February through March, depending on weather patterns. Line […]
Eighty acres of Great River Energy-owned property was recently placed in a conservation easement with the help of the Minnesota Land Trust. The area—adjacent to Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area (WMA)—creates a natural, continuous habitat for numerous bird species, including red-shouldered hawks, sandhill cranes and red-headed woodpeckers. “The importance of this property cannot be understated,” […]
More than two dozen volunteers from Maple Grove Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and Great River Energy packed up dozens of care packages for military personnel overseas before the holidays. The gifts include personal hygiene items and magazines to candy and cookies, all donated by members of the community. Great River Energy was named Minnesota’s 57th […]
With decommissioning of the Elk River Energy Recovery Station underway, many are wondering what will happen with the nesting peregrine falcons who have long made the plant their home. What started as an Eagle Scout project with the Raptor Resource Project in 2006 grew to see 38 young peregrine falcons fledge from the Elk River […]
Employees who are trained and equipped on life saving skills are essential. As a cooperative that serves much of rural Minnesota, Great River Energy employees are strategically located to ensure fast restoration of power and can assist in emergency situations, if called upon. Two employees went above and beyond in separate emergency situations and were […]
An insulated shipping container outfitted with a complete hydroponic growing system that will provide numerous Minnesotans with fresh, leafy greens year-round recently reached its destination. Central Lakes College’s (CLC) Ag and Energy Center in Staples is the new home of ‘Sota Grown, a collaborative indoor agriculture project between Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative (TWEC), Lakewood Health System […]
The same co-ops that brought electricity to the American countryside are helping start member-owned utilities in developing countries The first steps of forming a new electric cooperative have begun. This time, in Maji, a small town in Southwestern Ethiopia with 700 families. Surrounding the town are 22 kebeles, or small farming communities where about 4,800 […]
A new 2-megawatt solar array built for East Central Energy (ECE) members demonstrates the cooperative’s commitment to renewable energy. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last month at the array’s 15-acre site in Cambridge, Minnesota. ECE staff and directors welcomed Cambridge city officials, members of the North 65 Chamber of Commerce, representatives from Great River Energy […]