Where Your Power Comes From

Runestone Electric Association is a member of another cooperative, Great River Energy (GRE) of Elk River, Minnesota. GRE is our generation and transmission cooperative (G&T), responsible for providing wholesale electric power to our substations, from where it is sent out on Runestone's distribution lines to your home or business. Great River Energy owns generation capacity from three major sources:

• Coal Creek Station, a lignite coal-fired base load plant near Underwood, North Dakota.
  
• Stanton Station, a lignite coal-fired base load plant near Stanton, North Dakota.
  
• Genoa #3, a coal-fired base load plant near LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
  
• Runestone Electric also receives a fixed allocation of hydro power from the Missouri River Dam system, or WAPA (the Western Area Power Administration).

Coal Creek Tour

Each year, Runestone Electric Association organizes a three-day tour of the Coal Creek Station, the Falkirk Coal Mine and the Garrison Dam hydroelectric generation facility on the Missouri River.

Designed to acquaint interested co-op members with the complexities of modern power production, the Coal Creek Tour has become a very popular annual co-op event. Watch for tour announcements around May of each year.

The cost of the tour to Runestone members is $100 per person, which covers all transportation and lodging, plus one evening meal and one lunch. Reservations are taken on a "first-come/first-served" basis, and a waiting list is kept. So if you are interested in seeing how the electricity you use is generated, join us for the next annual Coal Creek Tour.