While temperatures are dropping and snow is starting to fall now, Great River Energy has already taken steps to prepare for whatever impacts this weather may bring. “Resilience” has become a common focus for electric cooperatives and utilities around the country as extreme weather events, such as this year’s polar vortex, become more common. “The […]
Ensuring the electric grid can bounce back quickly Read More »
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major changes to the way Great River Energy conducts its business. What has not changed is the importance of engaging member-owners in the cooperative’s projects. Great River Energy has found new ways to gather stakeholder input while keeping the public safe and healthy. Great River Energy recently held a
Transmission project kicks off during virtual open house Read More »
Whenever you flip a switch, plug in your phone or open your refrigerator, you’re relying on the grid to bring you reliable electricity. At the most basic level, the electric grid is a set of interconnected wires connecting places where energy is produced to where it is used. Over time, the grid has become smarter,
Wherever energy is needed, the grid is there Read More »
Great River Energy provided a cooperative voice at the Grid North Partners “Finding Truth North Conference” held June 16. Great River Energy Vice President and Chief Transmission Officer Priti Patel served as emcee and Operations and Transmission Services Director Dick Pursley participated on one of the event’s panels. Grid North Partners is an evolution of
Great River Energy guides ‘Finding True North Conference’ Read More »
A recent accident near Wanda, Minnesota, left more than 700 cooperative member-consumers without power for several hours after a truck hit a power line and brought down two utility poles. Not only did the incident cause an outage, it also created an unsafe situation. Although crews from Great River Energy and member-owner Redwood Electric Cooperative
Truck accident calls attention to power line safety 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 »
The organization that monitors the region’s electric grid projects there are adequate power reserves to meet demand for electricity this summer. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) expects summer demand to peak at 125 gigawatts (GW), with 152 GW of available capacity. The system’s summer peak demand forecast was reviewed during the recent Summer Readiness
Midwest grid prepared for summer Read More »
They set out in the dead of night and the cold of winter to restore power. They climb poles, work from bucket trucks and drive to remote locations to keep electricity flowing to your home. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, these technicians perform critical work to ensure reliability and public safety. Line technicians were recognized
Recognizing lineworkers during the pandemic Read More »
Great River Energy and the nine other utilities that make up the CapX2020 organization convened last August to discuss a study that would examine how the changing generation resource mix will impact transmission system operations and reliability. After months of collaboration and analysis, they recently issued the CapX2050 Transmission Vision Report. The report identifies the
CapX2020 report outlines transmission grid challenges Read More »