The last week of August included a very clear safety focus for Thumb Electric Cooperative (TEC). The co-op completed a Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP) audit and provided life-saving Pole Top and Bucket Rescue Training for its operations employees. “I’m proud of how they’re living up to the RESAP goal of continuous improvement,” said MECA Safety Director, Joe McElroy, commending TEC leadership and [...]
“If there’s going to be a big storm that causes widespread outages, you can bet it will probably happen over a holiday,” claims Joe McElroy, safety director and mutual aid coordinator at MECA. Turns out he may be onto something. That was certainly the case last week as a large-scale outage event took place over the Labor Day holiday. Storms raced through Michigan [...]
In July, the Wolverine Power Cooperative Board of Directors approved a five-year construction plan to rebuild 600 miles of transmission line—its most ambitious construction goal in the last half-century. “This plan is the culmination of Wolverine’s member teams, Board of Directors, and staff, working together over a decade to develop the technical and financial capabilities needed to execute a work plan of this [...]
On Monday, United States Congressman Jack Bergman visited Wolverine Power Cooperative’s state-of-the-art Alpine Power Plant to tour the facility and learn about the plant’s vital role for Wolverine’s members and Northern Michigan’s grid reliability. The Alpine Power Plant natural gas facility, completed in 2016, provides more than 400 MW of peaking generation, as well as essential transmission support, for Wolverine’s members and Northern Michigan’s [...]
MECA and its member co-ops are conducting a first-of-its-kind, statewide employee education and training assessment this month. Results will be used to develop an in-state training program to be hosted by MECA later this year. "We're very good at using data to measure almost everything we do in the energy industry," says Doug Snitgen, MECA executive vice-president. "But when it comes to selecting [...]
Alger Delta Cooperative Electric Association in Gladstone, MI is seeking a Journey Lineworker. Alger Delta is a non-profit, member-owned electric utility serving about 10,000 consumers in the central Upper Peninsula. We are an employer of choice offering competitive compensation and benefits, good vehicles and equipment and up-to-date technology for a modern and mobile work force. Our culture is focused on leadership, safety, service to [...]
30-foot waves rolled across Lake Superior on Tuesday, October 24. Winds near the shoreline gusted to over 60 mph taking down trees and powerlines in over two dozen locations in Alger, Marquette and Schoolcraft counties. The Upper Peninsula was hit with a weather bomb. A ‘weather bomb’ is an unofficial term for a rapidly intensifying storm that typically develops over the water when a [...]
The Governor’s Energy Excellence Awards honors Michigan organizations and individuals for outstanding achievement in reducing energy waste. This year, MECA EO Collaborative members received awards for Best Project – Public for Ewen Trout Creek School District (Ontonagon) and Best Project – Agriculture for Friske Orchards (Great Lakes Energy). Ewen Trout Creek is one of Michigan’s most rural school districts with only 205 students. [...]
Alger Delta Cooperative Electric Association (Alger Delta) celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Alger Delta Electric is a proud member of WPPI Energy, a not-for-profit wholesale energy provider and joint action agency. The co-op’s milestone anniversary was recognized at an awards luncheon during WPPI Energy’s annual meeting in September. Alger Delta’s CEO Tom Harrell, Directors Mike Lawless (District 3, Grand Marais) and Darryl Small [...]
Virtual Reality Advertising. Virtual Reality Advertising When Wolverine Power Cooperative (Wolverine) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 876 (IBEW Local 876) announced a partnership in May to continue utility linemen training in the state of Michigan, their partnership marked the beginning of the new Joint Michigan Apprentice Program (JMAP). The program’s inaugural class began in September, welcoming 61 apprentices from 28 Michigan [...]
