State Demographics

Agralite Electric Cooperative is an electric utility headquartered in Benson, Minnesota, that serves members in the state's west central area from near Kerkhoven to Ortonville on the south, and from near Sunburg to Morris and Donnelly on the north. Its employees are dedicated to serving the area's electric utility needs with reliable energy and outstanding customer service....Learn More »

Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI) was formed in 1953 after the Lutsen Light & Power Company closed its doors. Since 1953, AECI has been dedicated to fulfilling its mission and serving members. AECI serves more than 4,000 members in Cook County and part of Lake County. This requires AECI to operate and maintain over 375 miles of overhead distribution line and 190 miles of underground distribution line....Learn More »

Blue Earth-Nicollet Cooperative Electric Association (BENCO) was founded on May 11, 1936. The first recorded meeting took place on June 12, 1937, at Mankato City Hall. The first pole on the BENCO system was set on June 27, 1938, in Traverse Township, Nicollet County. The line was energized on September 16, 1938. Faribault County Cooperative Electric Association was founded in 1936. These two cooperatives consolidated into Blue Earth-Nicollet-Faribault Cooperative Electric Association (Frost-BENCO Electric) on January 1, 1980. Wells Electric Cooperative was founded in July 1935. Frost-BENCO and Wells Electric cooperative merged in January 1, 1988 and become Frost-BENCO-Wells Electric. In 1998, Frost-BENCO-Wells Electric became a Touchstone Energy® partner and began doing business as BENCO Electric....Learn More »

Brown County REA is owned by its 3,300 members. Service is provided to the rural Brown County and parts of Nicollet, Sibley, Blue Earth and Redwood counties. Members established this cooperative in 1937. Brown County REA strives to give its members good service by delivering reliable electric energy at the lowest possible cost. Member-owners control the direction of the cooperative through an elected Board of Directors....Learn More »

Cooperative Light & Power is proud of where it's been and where it's going. Since 1936, Cooperative Light & Power has been finding new ways to meet its members' needs. Through growth, partnerships and community commitment, the cooperative has made a positive impact in the neighborhoods it serves....Learn More »

Crow Wing Power proudly serves 37,000 electric cooperative members in the three counties surrounding the beautiful Brainerd Lakes Area in north central Minnesota. It is a locally owned and operated branch of the 750 Touchstone Energy® electric cooperatives throughout the nation. Crow Wing Power embraces Touchstone Energy's core values of integrity, innovation, accountability, and commitment to community. Crow Wing Power's main focus for the past 70 years has been providing reliable, affordable electricity. Members will find other advantages in the Crow Wing Power Credit Union, People's Security and Member Benefits Section....Learn More »

Dakota County Electric Cooperative was founded in 1937 by a group of farmers, with the help of the Rural Electric Association. On April 5, 1937, articles were adopted and Dakota Electric was incorporated. On Monday, Feb. 21, 1938, the lights came on in rural Dakota County. At that time, Dakota County Electric Cooperative covered 240 miles and served 800 members. In July 1969, Dakota County Electric Cooperative was renamed to what is known today as Dakota Electric Association. Dakota Electric has grown considerably since its humble beginnings, now covering 507 miles and serving more than 95,000 members. Because Dakota County cities are growing rapidly, Dakota Electric Association acquires approximately 2,200 new members each year....Learn More »

East Central Energy (ECE) is a member-owned electric cooperative providing electric, internet and long-distance services to its members in east central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. Formed in 1936, ECE currently serves more than 57,000 homes, farms and businesses in 14 counties, making it Minnesota's oldest and third largest member-owned electric cooperative....Learn More »

Federated Rural Electric provides power to four towns - Round Lake, Ceylon, Dunnell and Alpha. It has been involved in load management programs since 1983, saving its members millions of dollars. Load management allows Federated to control wholesale purchases of electricity by buying it at the least expensive times. Load management programs include heating, cooling, water heating and gensets. More than half of Federated's members have some type of load management installed in their homes....Learn More »

Bringing electricity to rural farms and homes was the challenge Goodhue County Cooperative Electric assumed in 1936 and continues to meet today. Farmers demanded electric service to improve their way of life and profitability. Today's electricity services help take much of the daily drudgery out of farming and housekeeping....Learn More »

Located in Park Rapids, Minnesota, more than 9,200 members form the Itasca-Mantrap Cooperative Electrical Association. Itasca-Mantrap is one of more than 860 electric cooperatives nationwide and one of more than 625 Touchstone Energy® cooperatives in the United States. The co-op is dedicated to providing high standards of service to its members and communities....Learn More »

Kandiyohi Power Cooperative (KPC) was organized in November 1935 under the cooperative laws in the State of Minnesota to furnish, improve and expand electric service to West Central Minnesota. Authority to form such a cooperative came from the passage of the Rural Electrification Act, which was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on May 11, 1935. KPC is governed by an elected, nine-person board of directors that establishes policies and hires the CEO. Today, KPC has grown to 31 employees serving more than 900 residential, agricultural and commercial members....Learn More »

Lake Country Power is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative serving parts of eight counties in rural northern Minnesota (Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Pine and St. Louis). The cooperative provides electricity and other energy related services to more than 41,000 members and continues to grow by an average of 900 new members each year. Lake Country Power maintains nearly 8,000 miles of distribution lines within 10,872 square miles of service territory. Geographically, Lake Country Power is Minnesota's largest electric cooperative. Its service centers are located in Grand Rapids, Kettle River and Virginia, which are supported by five outpost facilities strategically located in Cook, Ely, McGregor, Remer and Saginaw....Learn More »

Lake Region Electric Cooperative is located in Pelican Rapids at the heart of Minnesota lake country. In 1937, friends and neighbors worked together to gain access to the benefits of electricity. A lot has changed over the years, but Lake Region's mission remains the same: to provide reliable, affordable electricity to its members....Learn More »

McLeod is proud to have served its area as a premier provider of electricity since 1935. McLeod Cooperative Power is a member-owned cooperative that provides electricity to more than 6,000 residents, businesses and industries in central Minnesota, primarily in McLeod, Renville, Sibley and Carver counties. McLeod also provides DIRECTV programming and other services to 5,000 homes in its service area....Learn More »

Meeker is proud to have served the area as a premier provider of electricity since 1935. Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Association is a member-owned cooperative that provides electricity and other services to more than 7,500 residents, businesses and industries in six central Minnesota counties, including Meeker, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Renville, Stearns and Wright....Learn More »

Mille Lacs Energy provides progressive, reliable electric services to most of Aitkin County and parts of Mille Lacs and Crow Wing counties. Members get the electric service they need as well as reliable information about efficiency and safety....Learn More »

Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC), incorporated in 1937, is a proud provider of local energy. In a day and age of ever-changing technology, MVEC can assure its members that they will continue to bring power where no one else would at a level of service no one else can deliver. The cooperative works diligently to provide reliable, quality power at a reasonable price. And, because it is a not-for-profit organization, MVEC sells electricity to its member-owners at cost....Learn More »

Nobles Cooperative Electric serves Murray and Nobles counties along with portions of Cottonwood, Jackson, Lyon, Pipestone and Rock counties in southwestern Minnesota and Lyon and Osceola counties in Iowa. Nobles Cooperative Electric is a distribution cooperative that provides service directly to residential and commercial members. The bulk of its power is provided by its generation and transmission (G & T) cooperative, Great River Energy. As a small, local electric cooperative, Nobles knows and serves the needs of its members-owners who expect state-of-the-art technology, responsive service and reliable electricity....Learn More »

North Itasca Electric Cooperative is headquartered in Bigfork, Minnesota. The co-op, which employs 19 people, provides energy and related services to approximately 5,087 members in Itasca, Koochiching and Beltrami counties. North Itasca Electric's plant investments total $19.9 million; the co-op owns 875 miles of overhead distribution line and 396 miles of underground line....Learn More »

Redwood Electric is one of the smallest co-ops in the state with no load over 150 kW. Redwood Electric and South Central Electric share Ron Horman as general manager. Approximately 65 percent of the co-op's members participate in load management programs. The largest load at Redwood Electric is Highwater Ethanol in Lamberton, at a 4.5 MW load. Co-op members have generously given more than $40,000 to various nonprofits through Operation Round Up®....Learn More »

Runestone Electric Association is committed to earning its members' business by providing energy, technology and other valued services. It is Runestone Electric Association's vision to be a respected and innovative leader in providing member-owners with superior quality electric and customer services at competitive prices while also supporting local community initiatives....Learn More »

South Central Electric Association is an electric utility serving members in parts of south central Minnesota, including all of Cottonwood and Watonwan counties as well as portions of Martin, Blue Earth, Brown and Murray counties. South Central's directors and 21 employees are dedicated to serving the electric needs of the area with reliable energy and outstanding customer service....Learn More »

Stearns Electric Association is a member-owned electric cooperative. Since 1937, Stearns Electric Association has provided electricity and related products and services to Central Minnesota. Today, Stearns Electric Association serves more than 24,000 members in six Central Minnesota counties, including Stearns, Todd, Morrison, Kandiyohi, Pope and Douglas....Learn More »

Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric was formed on October 10, 1936, when Waseca Cooperative Electric and Steele County Cooperative Electric were merged into one organization with a combined membership of 860. Since its beginning, the cooperative has grown steadily to its present membership of more than 8,000. A growing membership and increased loads created the need for power, lines and facilities. Today, SWCE has more than 1,900 miles of line and 16 substations for its 900-square-mile service territory....Learn More »

Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative is a rural electric system in central Minnesota that is owned and controlled by the people to whom it supplies service. It is a non-profit, taxpaying, privately-owned and locally-managed utility operated by people working cooperatively to fulfill a common need. Todd-Wadena, originally organized in 1940, now serves about 8,200 members with about 2,200 miles of line. Its service territory includes the majority of rural Todd and Wadena counties along with portions of Becker, Cass, Douglas, Hubbard, Ottertail and Morrison counties....Learn More »

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association offers energy efficiency programs, time-saving payment methods (online, over the phone or in person) and renewable energy alternatives. For nearly 70 years, Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association has been dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for its members. Wright Hennepin serves about 40,000 homes and businesses in Wright County and western Hennepin County....Learn More »