NRECA Hosts PowerXchange and TechAdvantage
Co-op leaders from across the state headed to Nashville last month for NRECA’s PowerXchange and TechAdvantage, the national association’s annual meeting event. PowerXchange is the nation’s largest gathering of electric cooperative leaders and is designed to help co-ops face the challenges of the ever-changing industry through synergy, engagement, and collaboration.
This year’s featured speakers included Travis Mills, retired United States Army Staff Sergeant of the 82nd Airborne; Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, a New York Times #1 best seller; Barry “Butch” Wilmore, NASA astronaut & retired U.S. Navy Captain; Mike Partin, CEO of Sequachee Valley Electric Co-op & NRECA Board President; and Jim Matheson, NRECA CEO.
Miller Earns Lifetime Achievement Award
Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News (WECN) magazine consultant Geri Miller was presented with the National Electric Cooperatives Statewide Editors Association Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes outstanding leaders who have made significant contributions to the advancement of electric cooperative communications and the Statewide Editors Association during the course of their careers.
For more than 15 years, Miller has used her career experience in the printing industry to assist more than a dozen electric cooperative publications across the country with magazine advertising, content, and other operational needs. She has worked with WECN since 2015.
ACEC Youth Represents Wisconsin in Nashville
Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative’s Dillan Sztuczko served as Wisconsin’s Youth Leadership Council (YLC) delegate in Nashville this year. Sztuczko is a freshman at UW–Madison, majoring in electrical engineering. In Nashville, he was busy with valuable networking, career development opportunities, and sightseeing with other electric co-op youth from across the country.
DPC Announces Acquisition of Assets in Illinois
Dairyland Power Cooperative has purchased additional existing natural gas assets in Illinois. This month, Dairyland announced the acquisition of three combustion turbines (450 MW) at the Elwood Energy LLC in Elwood, Ill., from J-POWER USA.
President and CEO Brent Ridge says the investments will serve long-term reliability and resource needs. “As we advance a balanced, diversified energy portfolio to support rising demand across our service territory, these units will play a vital role in delivering the dependable energy our members count on every day,” he said.
Since 2014, Dairyland has retired nearly 600 MW of coal generation and has been working to add 1,000 MW of wind and solar through power purchase agreements aided by a federal grant.
Last year, Dairyland announced the acquisition of Elgin Energy Center in Elgin, Ill., and Rocky Road Energy Center in East Dundee, Ill.
Tech Giants Sign Ratepayer Protection Pledge
Leaders from major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI, and Amazon, joined President Donald Trump at the White House recently to sign the “Ratepayer Protection Pledge.” Under the pledge, the companies commit to developing their own power generation to ensure the costs of powering data centers are not shifted to consumers. In exchange, Trump promised expedited permitting for the centers.
NRC Approves Permit for First Advanced Nuclear Reactor
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a commercial nuclear reactor construction permit to a subsidiary of Bill Gates’ TerraPower for a 345-MW plant in Wyoming. It’s the NRC’s first commercial reactor construction approval in nearly 10 years, and the plant, known as the Kemmerer Power Station, will be the first utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the nation.
EPA Revamps Clean School Bus Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking input as it revamps the Clean School Bus Program (CSB), which originally launched to help districts transition to electric school buses. Trump’s EPA is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to seek feedback on a broad range of fuel options for the school bus sector, including biofuels, compressed natural gas, liquified natural gas, propane, and hydrogen. The EPA intends to use the information gathered from the RFI and lessons learned from previous funding rounds to revamp the CSB program for the 2026 grant funding round.
Superior Coal Terminal to Close after 50 years
The Midwest Energy Resources Co. terminal in Superior is set to close in June after 50 years in business. The company says coal transports are down 75% from 2008.
According to a letter sent to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Midwest Energy Resources Co. will be permanently closing its facility located at 2400 Winter Street and laying off 54 employees.
Midwest Energy Resources Company is a subsidiary of DTE Electric Company, formerly Detroit Edison.