From the President and CEO |
As 2023 comes to a close, Brent recognizes a few recent highlights, including an average 1 percent wholesale rate reduction for Dairyland's Class A members in 2024. More details will come in the New Year on the $20.7 million in grants Dairyland was awarded for multiple innovative projects to help improve the quality of life in communities we serve. He also expresses gratitude to those who spend time away from their loved ones during the holidays to keep our lights on. |
|
|
|
Dairyland Hosts Broadband Roundtable with Federal Dignitaries |
|
|
|
On Nov. 30, Dairyland welcomed White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves to tour Dairyland's La Crosse campus and participate in a roundtable discussion. The event was in recognition of the $14.89 million Middle Mile Infrastructure Grant Dairyland was awarded through the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) earlier this year. The roundtable discussion featured Pierce-Pepin CEO Nate Boettcher, Dairyland Economic Development Manager Jenny Kuderer-Radcliffe, educators, students, farmers and laborers who highlighted how reliable internet access will directly expand opportunity for their communities.
|
|
|
|
Welcome, Kevin!
Kevin Nordt joined Dairyland as Chief Strategy Officer on Nov. 13. Nordt comes to Dairyland with over 30 years of utility and leadership experience in the energy industry.
Prior to Dairyland, Nordt worked for Grant County Public Utility District (Ephrata, Wash.) in the roles of Chief Resource Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director, Power Management.
As Dairyland's Chief Strategy Officer, Nordt oversees Dairyland’s Strategic Planning initiatives, including exploration of nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs) and the development of natural gas fuel strategies as Dairyland prepares for the Nemadji Trail Energy Center. He will provide leadership and direction to ensure Dairyland’s strategic and sustainability goals are met or exceeded during the energy transition, in alignment with safety, environmental, reliability, regulatory and budgetary requirements.
|
|
|
|
MISO Tags Dairyland for WI Transmission Project
Dairyland is the selected developer for a Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., (MISO) 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission project in Wisconsin. Dairyland won the competitive bid to develop, own and operate a new 345 kV line from the Mississippi River near Alma, Wis., to the Tremval substation (Blair, Wis.).
Construction of the Alma-Blair Transmission Project includes installation of new 345 kV conductor, insulators and hardware on replaced double-circuit structures in tandem with Dairyland’s 161 kV transmission line.
|
|
|
|
NERC, MISO Winter Assessments Released
MISO expects this winter to be warmer-than-normal in its North and Central regions (where Dairyland serves). While cold blasts are expected, new wind and natural-gas-fired generation, and the continued operation of fossil-fired plants have increased available resources this winter by over 9 gigawatts (GW) from 2022 – the equivalent of more than two John P. Madgett (Alma, Wis.) power plants. MISO has also worked on improving their ability to forecast available resources, which will help ensure the right generation resources are ready to be called upon when needed. Additional renewable energy resources – while key toward the path to decarbonization – make forecasting which power generators will be available to keep the lights on difficult as renewable resource generation is dependent on ever-changing weather conditions.
This past spring, JPM was in a scheduled outage to overhaul the turbine and generator, and upgraded the precipitator equipment to double the amount of fly ash collected during the coal combustion process. Power plant maintenance is planned during the spring and fall when energy loads are typically lower due to moderate seasonal temperatures resulting in less heating and air conditioning.
Going into the winter season, JPM has been building up their coal reserves, utilizing two coal piles on-site. The Elk Mound Combustion Turbines and RockGen Energy Center are also ready to be called upon during extreme weather. These units work together to fill gaps in demand when wind and solar are not performing as expected. They can also run on fuel oil if natural gas supplies are low or diverted to home heating during a winter storm.
|
|
|
|
BOD Approves 2024 Incentive Program; 2023 Deadlines
In November, Dairyland's Board of Directors approved the 2024 Incentive Program (Member Program Summary link below). As 2023 is coming to a close, there are important notes and dates to remember:
Direct incentive program questions to Energy Efficiency Program Coordinator Mony Mohr. |
|
|
|
Cardinal-Hickory Creek Feature Released
Source: Dairyland Power Cooperative
In August, the Financial Times-London spent a day with Dairyland EVP/COO Ben Porath, representatives from ITC Midwest and the Clean Grid Alliance to discuss the need for the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line.
The 11-minute feature focuses on permitting challenges and Cardinal-Hickory Creek's importance for reliability and supporting regional clean energy transition goals. Interviews were conducted adjacent to a portion of the project site (Cassville, Wis.). The selected route will reduce environmental impacts in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge because the project will relocate and remove existing transmission infrastructure. Specifically, we will co-locate (or “double-circuit”) the existing 161-kV line that currently crosses the Refuge with the new 345-kV Cardinal-Hickory Creek line. Upon completion of construction, the existing 69-kV line will be de-energized and removed.
Cardinal-Hickory Creek is essential to bringing more renewable energy to market, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Currently, there are 161 projects in Wisconsin and four other states representing more than 17 gigawatts of renewable energy dependent upon its construction – enough to power millions of homes with clean energy.
|
|
|
|
Touchstone Energy:
Out with the Old,
In with the New
Source: Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
IN: New ad campaigns "Community: Where We Live" and "Safety Runs Through Everything"
In November, Touchstone Energy Cooperatives launched two new ad campaigns, that were filmed in the service territory of Sioux Valley Energy (S.D., Minn.) this summer.
OUT: Retiring "Modern Family," "Favorite Thing" Campaigns
As new campaigns are launched, Touchstone Energy periodically retires older campaigns to ensure all materials are accurate and up-to-date. Between now and Dec. 31, cooperatives should check their archives and pull images/ads from Touchstone Energy Cooperative's past ad campaigns of "Modern Family" and "Favorite Things." Both campaigns included video, radio, social and print assets and are no longer available on cooperative.com. Licensing agreements end December 31, so please ensure these are no longer in your files.
|
|
|
|
We love to feature co-op news and new employees in Current Matters! Please share your latest updates with Dana Bolwerk (dana.bolwerk@dairyandpower.com).
|
|
|
|
Cooperative Contributions Program Wraps Up a Successful 2023
Dairyland Power Cooperative and its member cooperatives strive to improve the quality of life in their service territories. In 2023 - in alignment with the 7th Cooperative Principle: Concern for Community - Dairyland expanded its contributions program to include a donation of up to $1,000 in each of its 24 member cooperatives' service territories. All 24 cooperatives submitted a donation request and, in some instances, matched Dairyland's $1,000 donation. The final four contributions of the year are listed below.
|
|
|
|
Jo-Carroll Energy | Great River Outreach (Savanna, Ill.), which supports individuals and families in need within the Savanna area. |
|
Barron Electric Cooperative | Marshfield Medical Center - Rice Lake Hospice to support the program as a patient-centered, family-oriented approach to care for anyone with a life-limiting illness |
|
|
|
Richland Electric Cooperative | Richland County Ambulance Service for leadership training and new equipment. |
|
Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative | Albert Lea Convention & Visitors Bureau to support the Trail of Enchantment at Central Park and Holiday Bazaar. |
|
|
|
Heartland Power Receives $2M USDA Loan
Sources: USDA, Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives
|
|
|
|
Dairyland member cooperative Heartland Power (St. Ansgar, Iowa) received a $2 million loan from the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) Program. The loan will help fund a pass-through loan to A to Z Drying, Inc., toward the purchase and installation of drying equipment at A to Z Drying's Osage facility. The project will create 16 new jobs and promote economic development in Winnebago County.
Heartland's loan was among $12.6 million in grants and loans awarded to nine rural Iowa projects to spur economic development and catalyze rural prosperity through rural cooperatives.
|
|
|
|
PPCS Members Stock Food Shelves
Source: Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) members helped stock Pierce and Pepin County food shelves through the co-op’s charitable foundation Pierce Pepin Cares. At their October meeting, the Pierce Pepin Cares board awarded $17,600 in grants to eight food pantries ($2,200 each). PPCS members also donated 285 pounds of non-perishable food and $35 in cash to the Pierce County Food Pantry at October’s member appreciation breakfast.
The Pierce Pepin Cares board also awarded a $2,125 grant to the Ellsworth Area Ambulance to create mass casualty treatment kits for use in large-scale emergency events and a $1,000 grant to St. Croix Valley SART to help create training space that includes equipment for virtual webinars to train forensic nurse examiners.
PPCS members fund the Pierce Pepin Cares Foundation by participating in Operation Round Up and rounding up their electric bills to the nearest dollar each month or donating a specific dollar amount. Members enrolled in the program contribute only about $6 annually, but the collective power of Operation Round Up is significant.
|
|
|
|
While there are a lot of resource links to sift through below, the newest additions are in BOLD.
Straight Talk Materials
Electric Vehicles
|
|
|
|
MORE INFORMATION ...
LinkedIn Learning is free for all Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. Each cooperative has a certain number of licenses - contact Patty Fetting for your cooperative's license allocation. Additional licenses can be purchased for $50/each. More information is available at cooperative.com >> Touchstone Energy Cooperatives >> Education. |
|
|
|
Dairyland's cooperative members are looking for new team members. Click on each title to learn more about these openings! If you would like to have your cooperative's job opening posted in Current Matters, click here. |
|
|
|
Dairyland Power Cooperative's offices will be closed Monday, Dec. 25, Tuesday, Dec. 26, and Jan. 1 for the holidays. Thank you to all who will be working and on-call to keep the lights on. We are grateful for you and your families!
Each month, Dairyland's Calendar of Events is updated to include information on meeting dates, formats and cancellations. Please forward meeting information pertinent to Dairyland staff, Board or managers to Peggy Kimani at peggy.kimani@dairylandpower.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What’s green, covered in tinsel and goes
“ribbet ribbet?”
A mistle-toad.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
