News

What happens when a single large wind turbine is combined with a commercial scale solar array? For the member-owners of Lake Region Electric Cooperative, the answer is three-fold. First and importantly, this hybrid wind-solar project will be a lower cost energy resource that will help keep your co-op’s electric rates stable and competitive. Not only will it be good for retail rates, but it also adds local, renewable energy to the existing generation sources on which we depend. Third, it will provide additional tax revenue to the county and state.

Our office will be closed the following days: Christmas – December 25th–26th and New Years – January 1st–2nd

When visiting the Outage Center on Lake Region Electric Cooperative’s website, members will see a button providing the option to “Report an Outage” online from the convenience of a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Here at LREC, we are always working to make communication easier for our members. If you prefer to report an outage online, rather than dialing and responding to voice prompts, this new option makes it possible to report an outage using the browser on your smartphone.

No doubt about it, we’re an electrified society. That simple fact was driven home in the aftermath of the recent series of strong hurricanes and tropical storms that pounded our coastal states. We simply cannot live our modern lives without electricity. Commerce, health, food and water supplies, security, and safety are extremely vulnerable when there is no power. Considering that, have you ever thought about all that you and your family get out of electricity? Just how much do you depend on electric power? Compare your benefits to what you pay for electricity. Electricity is a pretty good value, right?

At their October meeting, the Board of Trustees for Operation Round Up elected to donate $15,608 to assist the following organizations: Never. Give. Up., Henning Landmark Center, Town and Country Saddle Club, Inc., Otter Tail County Historical Society, Dalton Volunteer Fire Department, Glacial Minnesota Woman Organization, Save The Trinity, American Legion Veterans Memorial, Ashby Fire Department, City of Dent, Dalton 4-H Club, Deer Creek Fire Department, and Someplace Safe.

Lake Region Electric Coopertive’s CEO, Tim Thompson recently spoke with cooperative.com about LREC’s natural gas venture. See the interview at: https://www.cooperative.com/public/news/Pages/minnesota-co-op-natural-gas.aspx

After learning about the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma, Lake Region Electric Cooperative lineworkers Josh Haus, Lucas Bakken, Jed Evenson, and Ethan Kern knew they wanted to help. On Sunday, September 10 the group of four joined up with 10 other lineworkers from Minnesota electric cooperatives and started the trip southward. Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, located in the northern part of Florida, maintains over 4,300 miles of distribution lines. Out of 26,000 SVEC customers, an estimated 23,000 were without power in the wake of Hurricane Irma. “By the time we left a week later, power on their system was 98 percent restored. The only people who still didn’t have power were those who needed electric work done,” says Haus. After a full week in Florida, the Minnesota crew arrived back home on Thursday, September 21. The lineworkers said they were excited to get back to their families, sleep in their own beds, and catch up on projects back home. They expressed their thankfulness for the opportunity to help people in need, unanimously agreeing that, “It’s good to go, but also so good to get back.”