| Basin Electric Power Cooperative | |
| Type: | Non-profit organization |
| Area Served: | North Dakota |
| Industry: | Utilities |
| Hq Location City: | Bismarck, North Dakota |
| Hq Location Country: | United States |
| Subsid: | |
Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a wholesale electric generation and transmission cooperative based in North Dakota that provides electricity to 3 million customers in nine U.S. states. The roots of the cooperative go back to 1960 when Leland Olds and ten power suppliers created Giant Power Cooperative. Giant Power was first going to be a generation and transmission cooperative, but to keep electricity cheaper for rural customers, Basin Electric Power Cooperative was started in 1961. Today, Basin Electric's power sources include coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, waste heat, and nuclear.[1]
The current CEO and General Manager is Todd Telesz. A subsidiary of Basin Electric, Dakota Gasification Company, operates the Great Plains Synfuels Plant, which captures and sequesters nearly 50% of its carbon dioxide emissions in a system developed during the Carter administration. In 2005, the membership of Basin Electric passed a resolution requiring 10 percent of electricity demand to be provided by renewable forms of energy. At the end of 2009, Basin Electric finished construction on a 77 turbine wind energy project.[2]
| District | Name | Position | Cooperative | Director since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Wayne Peltier | President | Direct purchasing cooperatives | 2008 | |
| 1 | Kermit Pearson | Vice President | East River Electric | 1997 | |
| 2 | Gary Drost | Secretary/Treasury | L & O Power | 1999 | |
| 6 | Roberta Rohrer | Assistant Secretary | Central Montana Electric | 2004 | |
| 3 | Troy Presser | Director | Central Power Electric Cooperative | 2015 | |
| 4 | Don Applegate | Director | Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative | 1997 | |
| 5 | Leo Brekel | Director | Tri-State G&T | 2014 | |
| 7 | Mike McQuiston | Director | Rushmore Electric | 2008 | |
| 8 | Allen Thiessen | Director | Upper Missouri G&T | 2012 | |
| 10 | Paul Baker | Director | Powder River Energy Corporation | 2013 | |
| 11 | Charlie Gilbert | Director | Corn Belt Power | 2009 |
Source:[4]