Dairyland Power Cooperative

Dairyland Power Cooperative (Dairyland), a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, was formed in December 1941 with the merging of two of the nation's earliest generation and transmission cooperatives: Wisconsin Power Cooperative and Tri-State Cooperative^[1]. Headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides the wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities who, in turn, supply the energy needs of 700,000 members and consumers in a four-state service area (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois). Since July 2020, Brent Ridge has served as the electric cooperative's eighth president and CEO.^[2]

Today, the cooperative’s generating resources include wind, solar, hydro, natural gas, biogas and coal.

According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, electric cooperatives serve 56 percent of the U.S. landmass, which includes 42 million people.^[3] Electric cooperatives are not-for-profit organizations and returned more than $1.4 billion in capital credits to their members in 2021.^[3]

Members & Power Supply Customers

Class A Members

1. Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative / Postville, Iowa
2. Barron Electric Cooperative / Barron, Wis.
3. Bayfield Electric Cooperative / Iron River, Wis.
4. Chippewa Valley Electric Cooperative / Cornell, Wis.
5. Clark Electric Cooperative / Greenwood, Wis.
6. Dunn Energy Cooperative / Menomonie, Wis.
7. Eau Claire Energy Cooperative / Fall Creek, Wis.
8. Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative / Albert Lea, Minn.
9. Heartland Power Cooperative / Thompson & St. Ansgar, Iowa
10. Jackson Electric Cooperative / Black River Falls, Wis.
11. Jo-Carroll Energy / Elizabeth, Ill.
12. Jump River Electric Cooperative / Ladysmith, Wis.
13. MiEnergy Cooperative / Rushford, Minn. | Cresco, Iowa
14. Oakdale Electric Cooperative / Oakdale, Wis.
15. People's Energy Cooperative / Oronoco, Minn.
16. Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services / Ellsworth, Wis.
17. Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative / Centuria, Wis.
18. Price Electric Cooperative / Phillips, Wis.
19. Richland Electric Cooperative / Richland Center, Wis.
20. Riverland Energy Cooperative / Arcadia, Wis.
21. St. Croix Electric Cooperative / Hammond, Wis.
22. Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative / Lancaster, Wis.
23. Taylor Electric Cooperative / Medford, Wis.
24. Vernon Electric Cooperative / Westby, Wis.

Special Services Members

1. Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative / Friendship, Wis.
2. Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative / Rosholt, Wis.
3. Oconto Electric Cooperative / Oconto Falls, Wis.
4. Rock Energy Cooperative / Janesville, Wis.

Class D Municipal Members

1. City of Arcadia, Wis.
2. Village of Argyle, Wis.
3. Village of Cashton, Wis.
4. City of Cumberland, Wis.
5. City of Elroy, Wis.
6. City of Fennimore, Wis.
7. City of Forest City, Iowa
8. Village of La Farge, Wis.
9. City of Lake Mills, Iowa
10. City of Lanesboro, Minn.
11. City of McGregor, Iowa
12. Village of Merrillan, Wis.
13. City of New Lisbon, Wis.
14. City of Osage, Iowa
15. City of St. Charles, Minn.
16. City of Strawberry Point, Iowa
17. Village of Viola, Wis.
18. City of Manitowoc, Wis.
19. Great Lakes Utilities, Marshfield, Wis.

Power Supply Customers

1. Village of Bangor, Wis.
2. City of Clintonville, Wis.
3. City of Cornell, Wis.
4. City of Kiel, Wis.
5. City of Medford, Wis.
6. City of Shawano, Wis.
7. Village of Stratford, Wis.
8. Village of Trempealeau, Wis.
9. City of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

Generation Resources

Dairyland Power Cooperative provides its members and power supply customers with safe, reliable and affordable electricity via generation resources that it owns and operates, including: hydroelectric, natural gas, coal, landfill gas and solar generation. Dairyland also procures wind energy for members via power purchase agreements from wind farms in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Dairyland sells all the electricity it generates and purchases all of its electricity needs from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator - one of nine regional transmission/independent system operators in North America.

On its path to reducing its carbon footprint, Dairyland is exploring options for small modular nuclear reactors (SMR), pumped hydro storage^[4] and, in 2023, was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to research and test long-term energy (battery) storage opportunities.

Innovation

In addition to providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity to nearly 700,000 people in the Upper Midwest, Dairyland Power Cooperative and its member Cooperatives are bringing high-speed, broadband internet to America's rural areas. In 2023, Dairyland was awarded a $14.89 million Middle-Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Through the grant, 240 miles of Dairyland's transmission network will be retrofitted with optical ground wire (OPGW) during its Tri-State Fiber Deployment Project.^[5][6]

Dairyland and its member cooperatives are also leaders in electric vehicle acquisition and charger installation. Throughout Dairyland's four-state service territory, more than 150 public electric vehicle chargers have been installed to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles. Dairyland also has a Nissan Leaf and Ford E-Transit cargo van in its fleet.

Related Links

• Alma Station
• La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
• RockGen Energy Center
• Touchstone Energy Cooperatives

• Willie Wiredhand