Great River Energy provides wholesale electric service to Minnesota electric cooperatives with an eye toward its triple bottom line of rates, reliability and environmental stewardship.
Great River Energy’s wholesale electric rates stand approximately 20% below the weighted regional average cost of electricity. Its reliability scores remain strong, and the cooperative is testing leading-edge technologies to make the electric system even more robust and resilient.
Because of strategic, forward-thinking business decisions made over the last decade, Great River Energy has seen its greenhouse gases emissions fall and renewable energy resources grow, putting the cooperative in a strong position to achieve Minnesota’s carbon-free standard by 2040.
Building a better grid
A historic buildout of transmission infrastructure is underway in the Midwest, and Great River Energy is developing critical pathways and making strategic investments.
Great River Energy and Minnesota Power have made progress on the first project of the planned grid expansion: The Northland Reliability Project, a 180-mile, double-circuit 345-kilovolt transmission line extending from northern to central Minnesota.
The cooperative will also be involved in three upcoming projects, including a new 765-kilovolt transmission backbone that will start in South Dakota, traverse across southern Minnesota and into Wisconsin and Iowa.
Electricity is evolving
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission unanimously accepted Great River Energy’s latest integrated resource plan, which outlines the cooperative’s expectations for member load growth and new generation resources.
Under the plan, Great River Energy anticipates procuring or constructing more than 1,200 megawatts (MW) of wind power, 200 MW of energy storage and 200 MW of solar power by 2037.
Membership pays
Cooperatives are not-for-profit organizations that are owned by the members they serve with services provided at cost. They only collect enough revenue to run the business and meet financial obligations.
Great River Energy’s board of directors approved the payment of $15 million to member-owners through its 2024 patronage capital return, marking the sixth consecutive year that a return was made.
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