At Dakota Electric, we focus on ensuring you have reliable, affordable power—every hour of every day. While you see us as your local electric cooperative, the way your electricity is produced and delivered involves a broader regional network working behind the scenes.

Our Partnership with Great River Energy

Dakota Electric does not generate most of its own electricity. Instead, we partner with Great River Energy (GRE)—a generation and transmission cooperative that we helped create along with other member cooperatives across Minnesota.

Through this partnership, GRE ensures that its member cooperatives have access to the electricity necessary to power member homes and businesses.

This model allows us to:

  • Share the cost of power plants and infrastructure across multiple cooperatives
  • Access a diverse mix of energy resources
  • Reduce risk and maintain reliability for our members

In short, GRE handles the large-scale generation and transmission side of the business, while Dakota Electric focuses on delivering that power safely and efficiently within our local communities.

How the Regional Market Fits In

Even with GRE managing our power supply portfolio, we are also part of a larger regional energy system called the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO).

MISO operates the electric grid and wholesale energy markets across much of the Midwest. Every day, it coordinates which power plants run and ensures electricity flows reliably across the region.

Here’s how that works in simple terms:

  • GRE participates in the MISO market on behalf of its members
  • Electricity is bought and sold in both day-ahead and real-time markets
  • Power plants across the region compete to provide energy at the lowest cost
  • MISO also runs long-term capacity auctions to ensure enough power is available in the future

This regional system helps keep costs competitive while maintaining reliability, especially during periods of high demand.

Planning for the Future

Today, our power supply remains stable and reliable. But like the rest of the country, our region is seeing growing demand for electricity—driven by new technologies, economic growth, and changing energy use patterns.

To meet these needs, GRE and the broader MISO market are signaling the need for new generation resources and infrastructure investments. That includes:

  • New energy resources such as solar, wind, natural gas and battery storage
  • Continued participation in regional markets to balance supply and demand
  • Long-term planning to ensure reliable service for decades to come

Supporting Growth and Large Energy Users

As our region grows, we’re also seeing interest from large energy users—like manufacturing facilities and data centers—looking to locate in our service area. These projects can bring jobs and economic benefits, but they also require significant amounts of electricity. Our approach is to support growth in a way that protects our existing members. That means carefully evaluating each opportunity, working with Great River Energy and the regional market to ensure sufficient supply, and structuring costs so they are aligned with the users creating them. Simply put, we support responsible growth—but not at the expense of reliability or affordability for our existing members.

What This Means for You

For our members, this layered approach—local delivery, cooperative generation, and regional market coordination—means:

  • Reliability: Multiple systems working together to keep the lights on
  • Cost stability: Access to competitive regional markets
  • Long-term planning: Investments designed to serve you well into the future

Our focus remains the same: providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity while making thoughtful decisions about where and how your power is produced.

Thank you for being a member of Dakota Electric.

Ryan Hentges
CEO