Wishing You a Bright Holiday Season and New Year
By Jeremy Richert, CEO
As we flip the calendar to December and embrace the holidays along with all of the traditions that come with the season, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year’s accomplishments at your cooperative. This year marked MVEC’s 90th anniversary and we enjoyed looking back at key cooperative milestones throughout the
year. For the last nine decades, MVEC has worked diligently to provide reliable and affordable service that improves the lives of our members. While the team of individuals has changed over the last 90 years, the level of dedication has not wavered. The employees at MVEC take great pride in fulfilling this mission each and every day. The Board and I continue to be grateful for the MVEC team’s commitment and hard work. Below are just a few highlights of what was accomplished in 2025:
Investing in Reliability
We are committed to delivering the reliable power you depend on. To uphold that commitment, MVEC started 2025 by making significant investments across our system, with a major focus on proactive maintenance and growth preparation. Reliable power starts with clear lines. Trees and brush are the single largest cause of service interruptions, accounting for 40% to 50% of MVEC's power outages. Each year, MVEC invests in tree trimming and vegetation management across our service territory. After reviewing outage causes over the last several years, MVEC increased our vegetation management budget significantly in 2025. In order to keep up with tree trimming needs, we hired two outside contractors that assisted with line clearing over the course of the year. The increased investment in vegetation management will decrease the number of tree-related outages and help maintain the reliability that you have come to expect from our electric grid. Remember that trees and shrubs should be planted at least 20 feet from electric poles and lines. Visit our website for our right of way guide or contact the co-op at 800-927-6068 with any questions.
In addition to vegetation management, MVEC continued to invest in patrolling our lines, upgrading meters and rebuilding single-phase line to three-phase to accommodate growth. Increased load coming to our service area also necessitated that MVEC build a new substation – the first for MVEC since 1998. This project was a large undertaking for our engineering, technical services and operations departments—from meticulous design and planning to long hot summer days constructing the substation, it was a true team effort for which all involved should feel very proud. Click here to continue reading our article.