In the News – February Update

This month, we take a trip down memory lane with some black and white photos of the pioneering workers who helped build the Nobles Cooperative Electric that we know and love today. That means we don’t have to have a picture of me in the newsletter this month and we have a great photo of Doug Wallace who was the General Manager for 30 years from 1956 - 1986 instead!

These pioneers faced immense challenges, using the best technology available at the time to bring electricity to our grandparents and parents. They literally lit up lives for our families.

Today, we often take electricity for granted. But these photos remind us of the incredible effort that goes into delivering power to your doorstep. It's a legacy we're proud to carry forward as we continue to improve and serve our members.

Doug Wallace dedicated three decades of his career as the former General Manager here at Nobles Cooperative Electric, witnessing a period of remarkable transformation. Now, forty years later, we continue to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing needs of our members. We are actively modernizing our infrastructure, constructing new substations, upgrading existing ones and building modern work spaces to enhance efficiency.

To ensure a reliable power supply, we have continuously invested in our grid. Over the years, we've replaced aging infrastructure with stronger poles and more robust junction boxes, far surpassing the standards of the 1950's. Our advanced systems provide real-time monitoring, enabling us to quickly address outages and minimize service interruptions.

These improvements require significant time and investment, and often involve years of planning and execution. Our board diligently evaluates each decision, understanding that their choices today will impact our members for decades to come - much like the decisions made during Doug Wallace's era that continue to influence us today.

This year, we face a significant hurdle due to substantial increases in the cost of wholesale power from our suppliers, Great River Energy (GRE) and Wester Area Power Administration (WAPA). These unforeseen cost increases amount to over $1 million in 2025, far exceeding our initial projection of $200,000. We understand that nobody likes rate increases. We work hard to keep your costs low by meticulously planning our infrastructure investments and budgeting carefully. However, sometimes unexpected challenges arise that are outside of our control.

Despite these challenges, we remain committed to upholding the vision of our founders. We carefully consider the long-term impact of our decisions, knowing that they will shape the cooperative for generations to come. We are dedicated to providing our members with reliable, efficient and up-to-date service, now and into the future.

What’s in the future? With the recent change in the Presidental adminstration, there will be changes coming to some of the regulations we need to follow. The future of our industry holds both exciting possibilities and potential challenges. While we support renewable energy sources like solar, wind and electric vehicles, many of the existing policies require updates, and it will be fascinating to observe whether the proposed changes yield positive outcomes. The next few years will be pivotal as we adapt to potential new policies and their effects on the electric industry as a whole.

We're committed to navigating the evolving energy landscape and adapting to new policies from every direction—whether from regulatory agencies, our business partners or legislative bodies—all while continuing to provide you with reliable and sustainable service. We deeply appreciate the trust you place in us to power your lives.