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.Nation’s largest cooperative-owned wind project fully operational near Minot, ND. Prairie Business. 31 Dec. 2009.
Member cooperatives Direct purchasing Grand Electric Cooperative - Bison, South Dakota KEM Electric Cooperative - Linton, North Dakota Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light & Power Association - Montevideo, Minnesota Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative - Jordan, Minnesota Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative - Flasher, North Dakota Powder River Energy Corporation - Sundance, Wyoming Roughrider Electric Cooperative - Hazen, North Dakota Rosebud Electric Cooperative - Gregory, South Dakota Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association - Rockford, Minnesota
G&T Central Power Electric Cooperative - Minot, North Dakota Central Montana Electric Power Cooperative - Great Falls, Montana Corn Belt Power Cooperative - Humboldt, Iowa East River Electric Power Cooperative - Madison, South Dakota L & O Power Cooperative - Rock Rapids, Iowa Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative - LeMars, Iowa Rushmore Electric Power Cooperative - Rapid City, South Dakota Upper Missouri G&T Electric Cooperative - Sidney, Montana Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association - Denver, Colorado
Class D Members Flathead Electric Cooperative - Kalispell & Libby, Montana Wyoming Municipal Power Agency - Lusk, Wyoming
States served by Basin Electric Colorado Iowa Minnesota Montana Nebraska New Mexico North Dakota South Dakota Wyoming
Subsidiary companies Basin Telecommunications Inc. Basin Cooperative Services Dakota Gasification Company Dakota Coal Company Montana Limestone Company Prairie Winds ND 1, Inc. Prairie Winds SD 1, Inc. Souris Valley Pipeline Ltd.
Board of directors DistrictNamePositionCooperativeDirector since9Peltier Wayne Peltier PresidentDirect purchasing cooperatives20081PearsonKermit PearsonVice PresidentEast River Electric19972DrostGary DrostSecretary/TreasuryL & O Power19996RohrerRoberta RohrerAssistant SecretaryCentral Montana Electric20043PresserTroy PresserDirectorCentral Power Electric Cooperative20154ApplegateDon ApplegateDirectorNorthwest Iowa Power Cooperative1997 5BrekelLeo BrekelDirectorTri-State G&T20147McQuistonMike McQuistonDirectorRushmore Electric20088ThiessenAllen ThiessenDirectorUpper Missouri G&T201210BakerPaul BakerDirectorPowder River Energy Corporation201311GilbertCharlie GilbertDirectorCorn Belt Power2009
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External links Basin Electric Power Cooperative website Google Books link Multiple sources for Basin Electric Power Electric Cooperative
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