Our service area

We do not sell electricity directly to consumers. Control and direction of Basin Electric begins with our member-owners who support the seven cooperative principles and are governed by the cooperative business model.

Basin Electric's member systems' service territories span 500,000 square miles from the Canadian to the Mexican borders. Our 140 members constitute a vital network of generation, transmission and distribution systems that deliver electricity to 3 million consumers in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and New Mexico.

Cooperative principles

1. Open and voluntary membership
2. Democratic member control
3. Members' economic participation
4. Autonomy and independence
5. Education, training, and information
6. Cooperation among cooperatives
7. Concern for community

The co-op difference

How does an electric G&T cooperative differ from an investor-owned utility? At Basin Electric, our net margin above expenses and reserves does not belong to the utility. It represents an increase in an investment that belongs to our consumer-owners. Basin Electric's margins must be used to improve or maintain operations, set aside in reserves, or distributed to the membership.

Original incorporators

Read feature articles about Basin Electric's original incorporators.