We are heading north this summer and you are invited to join us.
Our annual trip to North Dakota to tour the power plants that generate your electricity is back on the schedule after being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is called the VIP Tour and it gives you – the VIPs of our co-op – an up-close look at the resources that produce the power you use every day.
The VIP Tour is a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping the members of Northern Electric Cooperative informed about their co-op. Member education is one of the core principles of every cooperative and this annual tour is a hands-on lesson in how electricity is generated and distributed to members at the end of the line.
During the two-day trip we travel to Bismarck, North Dakota, where members tour the Basin Electric Power Cooperative headquarters. Basin Electric is the generation and transmission cooperative which produces power for Northern Electric and 130 other electric cooperatives in nine states. Basin Electric is partially owned by you and three million other electric cooperative members throughout the central portion of the United States. We kick off the tour at Basin Electric’s headquarters in Bismarck to get an overview of the co-op system and show members how Basin serves electric cooperatives at the local level.
The VIP Tour also takes members just north of Bismarck to Beulah, North Dakota, where Basin Electric operates several large facilities to meet the energy needs of its members. Members will tour the Antelope Valley Station which is a 900-megawatt coal-fired power plant. Members will also tour the Freedom Mine which sits right next to the Antelope Valley Station. Tour participants will learn how coal is used to responsibly generate electricity for co-op members.
The tour also travels to the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River. Northern Electric Cooperative receives 17 percent of its electricity from hydropower. This tour will show members how the Missouri River is used to produce clean and reliable electricity.
We are excited that the VIP Tour is back this year. It is a great opportunity to learn about the resources that are ultimately owned by the members of the co-op. Everyone who is a member of Northern Electric can apply for the VIP Tour. The dates for this year’s tour are June 28-29. You can apply by clicking this link. The cost of the commercial bus, hotel, and meals during the tour are completely covered by Northern Electric to make this opportunity accessible to every member of the cooperative.
The VIP Tour is your chance to learn. It is your chance to explore. It is your chance to get a better understanding of where your power comes from. We hope you can join us as we head north this summer.
