News

This year, many Lake Region Electric Cooperative members experienced service interruptions due to a wide scope of causes. This was troubling to all of us at the cooperative since we view service reliability as an imperative. Please read the accompanying article in this newsletter. No matter how complicated the electric utility business becomes, please know that our highest priority is to provide quality electric service.

Our lineworkers and other employees respond to many pole hits or snagged lines this time of year that not only cause outages, but can be deadly, too. Overhead lines end up on the ground and they can still be energized. Our employees then have to repair the line, and not often in the best of conditions. To maintain our safe conditions of powering you with electricity, we need your help. Here’s what you can do.

Join us on September 13th for our EV Ride & Drive event! This is a fun and free informational event that offers a hands-on EV experience. You will be able to test drive a variety of locally available electric vehicles, talk with EV owners about their vehicles, and learn about vehicle charging options. The event is taking place Thursday, September 13th at Minnesota Motors in Fergus Falls. Stop in anytime between 11AM-2PM — there will be free lunch as well!

Watch Tim Thompson's Annual Meeting message.

As more and more people decide to drop their landlines and opt for only cell phones, it is important to contact Lake Region Electric Cooperative and provide us with your new primary phone numbers.

During our 2017 annual meeting, we introduced the concept of a solar and wind hybrid electric generating facility to Lake Region’s members. However, the project site that we pursued last year in the Pelican Lake area has been canceled due to a variety of reasons. This doesn’t mean that we have given up on the concept. We continue to look forward and feel strongly that a hybrid solar and wind project should still become a key element of our rate stabilization plan. We are also seeking to protect the environment. Such a project would utilize local, renewable energy sources of which the output is carbon free.

We work hard to keep our electrical power system operational and safe. Yet, when it is damaged, hazardous conditions can result. For example, when a driver hits a pole, the energized line could land on the vehicle or end up on the ground where someone might come into contact with it. The power to neighboring homes is disrupted and has to be restored. Our crews must replace the pole and get the line back up, often in nasty weather or at night. Unfortunately, this hypothetical story is too often actually true. In fact, over the last two years, the number of public incident damages has increased, and this year’s trend so far doesn’t look promising.