The partnership between electric cooperatives and the U.S. military goes back to the very beginnings of the co-op movement and has broadened and deepened over the decades.
More than 140 co-ops now serve Department of Defense facilities or Coast Guard stations, and they own, operate, and maintain the power distribution grids at 31 military installations through utility privatization contracts.
But the energy needs of our armed services are changing, creating an opportunity for co-ops to work even more closely with their defense partners.
To mark Veterans Day this month, we look at a new series of Defense Summits that NRECA is hosting across the country, the first of which took place in Anchorage, Alaska in September. These events seek to tackle the military’s grid modernization challenges and strengthen its partnerships with co-ops.
NRECA Research is working collaboratively with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory on this project. As part of the effort, NREL will create two case studies around grid modernization and national security with two NRECA members.
Joining us to discuss the summits is Lauren Khair, NRECA’s senior director of energy research and resilience. We’ll also talk to the heads of two co-ops that participated in the summits—Kodiak Electric Association President and CEO Dan Menth and Kotzebue Electric Association General Manager and CEO Tom Atkinson.
Listen to the episode below:
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