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Co-op History

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In the late 1940s and early 1950s, most rural people in North Dakota and the rest of the country lived without electricity. Power companies were convinced that they couldn't make money by serving the rural countryside, so they declined to run power lines out to the country.

All across the country, including in North Dakota, rural people were banding together to help themselves by forming electric cooperatives. With the help of government loans through the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), electric cooperatives helped light the countryside. Two such cooperatives, RSR Electric Cooperative and James Valley Electric Cooperative, were among them.

The consolidation of RSR Electric Cooperative (Milnor) and James Valley Electric Cooperative (Edgeley) was approved in June, 1999. Both cooperatives operated as separate entities until the end of the year. In January, 2000, Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative was born.

In June 2005, Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative and a neighboring electric cooperative, Northern Plains Electric Cooperative, entered into an Agreement for Shared Services.  The agreement called for the sharing of management, employees and equipment where appropriate,  but allowed the structure and identity of each cooperative to remain in place.

On September 1, 2018, after much study and discussion,  Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative and Northern Plains Electric Cooperative mutually agreed to dissolve the Shared Services agreement. 

Dakota Valley members provide input into the operation and management of the cooperative through a nine-member board of directors that are elected to three-year terms.

While the number of members it serves is small, geographically, Dakota Valley is among the largest electric cooperatives in the state. It serves about 6,600 meters in an area extending from just south of Jamestown to the South Dakota border; and from the Minnesota border extending west nearly to Ashley, N.D.

On its 4,600 miles of line, Dakota Valley distributes electricity supplied by Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Western Area Power Administration. It is a member of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and is a member of the Touchstone Energy alliance of electric cooperatives.

Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative, like its predecessors, is dedicated to providing a reliable, affordable source of energy for its members.

  • Home
  • Your Co-op
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • About Touchstone Energy
    • Co-op History
    • Cooperative Principles
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Our Directors
    • Director Districts
    • Our Mission
    • Power of Membership
    • Service Area
    • Staff
  • Customer Services
    • Capital Credits
    • Dakota Valley Services Corporation
    • Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Program
    • Forms and Applications
    • Loan Program
    • ND Energy Share
    • Off-Peak Programs
    • Payment Options
    • Solar System
    • Storm Preparation
    • Together We Save
  • News & Events
    • ND Living Magazine
    • Annual Meeting
    • Annual Reports
    • Bill Inserts
    • For Sale Items
    • Press Releases
    • Schedule of Events
  • Community
    • Committed to Caring
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Operation Round Up
      • Operation Round Up
      • Operation Round Up FAQs
      • Operation Round Up Guidelines
      • Operation Roundup Board Members
You inspire us to find solutions, so we can provide the energy and savings you need. Visit Touchstoneenergy.com to learn more.
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Contact Info

Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative

7296 Highway 281
Edgeley, ND 58433

By Phone: 1-800-342-4671

Report Outages: 1-800-342-4671

By Email: dvec@dakotavalley.com
DO NOT E-MAIL OUTAGE INFORMATION

About Us

Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative is one of 16 distribution cooperatives in North Dakota. It serves some 6,000 members on almost 4,700 miles of line in an area that stretches from the Minnesota border nearly to Ashley, and from the South Dakota border to Jamestown. From headquarter offices in Milnor and Edgeley, and outposts in Wahpeton, Oakes and Gackle, 43 employees work full-time to provide members with electricity and to improve the quality of rural life.

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©2025 Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • Your Co-op
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • About Touchstone Energy
    • Co-op History
    • Cooperative Principles
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Our Directors
    • Director Districts
    • Our Mission
    • Power of Membership
    • Service Area
    • Staff
  • Customer Services
    • Capital Credits
    • Dakota Valley Services Corporation
    • Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Program
    • Forms and Applications
    • Loan Program
    • ND Energy Share
    • Off-Peak Programs
    • Payment Options
    • Solar System
    • Storm Preparation
    • Together We Save
  • News & Events
    • ND Living Magazine
    • Annual Meeting
    • Annual Reports
    • Bill Inserts
    • For Sale Items
    • Press Releases
    • Schedule of Events
  • Community
    • Committed to Caring
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Operation Round Up
      • Operation Round Up FAQs
      • Operation Round Up Guidelines
      • Operation Roundup Board Members