Nodak Electric Cooperative is a public utility cooperative based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and provides electricity to rural customers and small towns across a portion of northeast North Dakota, and is a member of Minnkota Power Cooperative.
When electric cooperatives began organizing in the late 1930s after the formation of the Rural Electrification Administration and North Dakota's ratification of the Electric Cooperative Corporation Act in 1937, several projects got underway across northeastern North Dakota in 1939. They were Forks (Grand Forks County), Walsh (Walsh County), Red River (Traill County), and Five-Star (Nelson County). These were consolidated into a single project in 1940, as all four projects struggled to secure a reliable source of power, which also led to the formation of Minnkota Power Cooperative later that same year.
A neighboring cooperative, Sheyenne Valley Electric Cooperative, merged into Nodak Electric in 2001.
Walsh County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,563. Its county seat is Grafton.
Grand Forks County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 73,170, making it the third-most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat and largest community is Grand Forks.
George H. Walsh was an American newspaper editor and publisher from Grand Forks, North Dakota. He served on the council of the Dakota Territory and was instrumental in the founding of the University of North Dakota.
Verendrye Electric Cooperative is a public utility cooperative based in Velva, North Dakota, but also has a service center in Minot. It serves rural consumers across a seven-county area in north central North Dakota, but the bulk of its service area lies within Ward and McHenry counties. Verendrye Electric receives power from the Central Power Electric Cooperative – in fact, Verendrye took the lead in establishing Central Power in 1949 after having to deal with a 30% rate hike from its previous power supplier in 1948.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a wholesale electric generation and transmission cooperative based in North Dakota that provides electricity to 3 million customers in nine U.S. states. The roots of the cooperative go back to 1960 when Leland Olds and ten power suppliers created Giant Power Cooperative. Giant Power was first going to be a generation and transmission cooperative, but to keep electricity cheaper for rural customers, Basin Electric Power Cooperative was started in 1961. Today, Basin Electric's power sources include coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, waste heat, and nuclear. The current CEO and General Manager is Todd Telesz. A subsidiary of Basin Electric, Dakota Gasification Company, operates the Great Plains Synfuels Plant, which captures and sequesters nearly 50% of its carbon dioxide emissions in a system developed during the Carter administration. In 2005, the membership of Basin Electric passed a resolution requiring 10 percent of electricity demand to be provided by renewable forms of energy. At the end of 2009, Basin Electric finished construction on a 77 turbine wind energy project.
Central Power Electric Cooperative is a North Dakota-based electrical generation and transmission cooperative founded in 1949 and which is based in Minot, North Dakota. Central Power purchases power from Basin Electric Power Cooperative to serve its six-member rural electric cooperatives. It also built the William J. Neal Station near Voltaire, ND in 1951 to meet its members' needs, with the power being delivered over the lines of the Otter Tail Power Company. When Central Power joined Basin Electric, Neal Station was transferred to Basin as a condition of membership. In its later years, Neal Station was modified to burn sunflower seed hulls in addition to lignite coal, but had been decommissioned and removed by the early 2000s.
Northern Plains Electric Cooperative is a public utility cooperative based in Carrington and Cando, North Dakota. It serves as the electric distribution utility in a portion of east central North Dakota. It receives power from the Central Power Electric Cooperative.
Capital Electric Cooperative is a public utility cooperative based in Bismarck, North Dakota. It serves customers throughout rural Burleigh County and portions of Sheridan and Emmons Counties. It is a member of, and receives power from the Central Power Electric Cooperative.
McLean Electric Cooperative is a public utility cooperative based in Garrison, North Dakota. It serves rural consumers in McLean County and portions of Sheridan and Mountrail counties. It receives power from the Central Power Electric Cooperative.
North Central Electric Cooperative is a rural electric cooperative based in Bottineau, North Dakota. It serves rural consumers in Bottineau County and portions of the counties bordering it. It receives power from the Central Power Electric Cooperative.
Andrew Freeman was an American electrical engineer and the inventor of the electric block heater for automobiles.
Minnkota Power Cooperative is an electrical generation and transmission cooperative based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It wholesales electric power to rural electric cooperatives in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Cavalier Rural Electric Cooperative is a public utility cooperative based in Langdon, North Dakota. It serves as the electric distribution utility in a portion of northeast North Dakota, mainly within Cavalier and northern Ramsey counties. Its power supplier is Minnkota Power Cooperative.
Cass County Electric Cooperative is a public utility cooperative based in Fargo, North Dakota. It serves as the electric distribution utility in a portion of southeast North Dakota, with service stretching from Fargo to Eckelson. It receives power from the Minnkota Power Cooperative.
McKenzie Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MEC) is a rural electric cooperative based in Watford City, North Dakota. It services portions of McKenzie, Dunn, Billings, Golden Valley and Mercer Counties in North Dakota and Richland and Wibaux Counties in Montana. MEC is a member of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives.
Milton R. Young Power Plant is a coal-fired power plant in the north central United States, located in Oliver County, North Dakota, southeast of Center. Northwest of Bismarck, it consists of two units which went into service in 1970 and 1977, and have generation capacities of 250 MW and 455 MW, respectively, for the Minnkota Power Cooperative. The used coal comes from surface Center Mine, and the power plant is the startpoint of HVDC Square Butte.