Great River Energy’s transmission division receives international environmental certification

Elk River, Minn. (November 15, 2005)
Great River Energy’s transmission division has received ISO 14001 certification of its environmental management system (EMS). This certification demonstrates conformance to an international standard that reflects global consensus on superior environmental practices.

“Great River Energy is the only generation and transmission cooperative in the U.S. with ISO 14001 certified facilities. This is a significant demonstration of our commitment to being an environmentally responsible company,” says Mary Jo Roth, manager, environmental services, Great River Energy.

ISO 14001 is a voluntary international standard for excellent environmental practices. It requires that a company continuously evaluate and improve its environmental performance. As part of the certification process, an independent registrar completed a rigorous audit of Great River Energy’s transmission division’s operations and environmental programs.

“This is quite a unique certification. We are aware of only one other transmission system in the U.S. that is ISO 14001 certified,” says Roth.

Great River Energy’s Coal Creek Station, Lakefield Junction peaking plant and Pleasant Valley peaking plant are all ISO 14001 certified facilities.

Great River Energy is a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative providing electricity to 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is the second largest power supplier in the state of Minnesota, and the fourth largest cooperative of its type in the nation.