Great River Energy

Great River Energy is an electric transmission and generation cooperative in the U.S. state of Minnesota; it is the state's second largest electric utility, behind Xcel Energy. GRE started out as two separate, smaller G&T cooperatives - Cooperative Power Association and United Power Association; the merger that created GRE likely was not long after Coal Creek came online.

Located in Maple Grove, Minnesota, Great River Energy provides electricity to 28 Member Co-ops, throughout Minnesota. The company moved to its new headquarters in April 2008. The new headquarters include a 160-foot tall, 200 kilowatt NEG Micon M700 wind turbine (visible from Interstate 94), and a 72-kilowatt solar array at ground level and on the rooftop. The building uses approximately half the energy of similar-sized buildings constructed using standard construction techniques, 40 percent less electricity for lighting and 90 percent less water than standard corporate campuses.

In October, 2008, the headquarters building became the first building in Minnesota to attain LEED Platinum status.

Electric Plants

Coal

• Coal Creek Station - Located south of Underwood, North Dakota

Generating electricity since 1979; this station is North Dakotas largest, producing 1,100 megawatts of electricity, & using 7.5 to 8.0 million tons lignite of per year, which it gets from the Falkirk Mine.

• Spiritwood Station - Located near Spiritwood, North Dakota (Under Construction)
• Stanton Station - Located near Stanton, North Dakota

Generating electricity since 1966, it produces 189 megawatts of electricity, and uses 850,000 tons of lignite per year.

Biomass

• Elk River Station - Located in Elk River, Minnesota

Natural Gas / Oil Peaking Plants

• Cambridge Station - Located in Cambridge, Minnesota
• Lakefield Junction Station - Located in Trimont, Minnesota
• Pleasant Valley Station - Located in Dexter, Minnesota
• Spiritwood Station - Located near Spiritwood, North Dakota (Under Construction)

Wind

• GRE also purchases power from wind farms in the Buffalo Ridge, Dodge Center, Jackson County, & Trimont Area.

Purchases

• When needed Great River Energy also purchases electricity from other electric producers.

Member cooperatives

Agralite Electric Cooperative Arrowhead Electric Cooperative BENCO Electric Brown County Rural Electric Association Connexus Energy Cooperative Light & Power Association Crow Wing Power Dakota Electric Association East Central Energy Federated Rural Electric Association

Goodhue County Cooperative Electric Association Itasca-Mantrap Cooperative Electric Association Kandiyohi Power Cooperative Lake Country Power Lake Region Electric Cooperative McLeod Cooperative Power Association Meeker Cooperative Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative Nobles Cooperative Electric

North Itasca Electric Cooperative Redwood Electric Cooperative Runestone Electric Association South Central Electric Association Stearns Electric Association Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative Wright Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association

Sponsorships

Great River Energy supports a number of community programs and events through sponsorships. One of their largest sponsorships is the Great River Energy bicycle festival, a five-day event held in cities throughout central Minnesota. All proceeds from the Festival are donated to Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Beginning in fall 2008, Great River Energy will sponsor the Minnesota Orchestra's Inside the Classics series.

See also

• Wind power in the United States

External links

• Great River Energy
• Great River Energy Bicycle Festival

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