Lake Region Electric Cooperative hosted the third annual Energy Forum on May 30, 2024, at Thumper Pond in Ottertail, Minnesota. To view the forum, please watch the video below.

2024 Speakers & Topics
  • Welcome – Tim Thompson, CEO, LREC
  • Moderator – Jeff Haase, Director of Members Services, DER & End Use Strategy, GRE
  • Where we’re at, where we’re going (virtual)– Jim Matheson, CEO, NRECA
  • Legislation update – Darrick Moe, CEO, MREA
  • GRE’s energy portfolio – Zac Ruzycki, Director of Resource Planning, GRE
  • Hydropower – Jim Horan, Mid-West Electric Consumers Association
  • Transmission future (virtual)– Priti Patel, Vice President & Chief Transmission Officer, GRE
  • Providing affordable and reliable energy (virtual) – Jon Brekke, VP & Chief Power Supply Officer, GRE
  • Current and future impacts of electric vehicles – Steve Nisbet, EV Program Director, MN Automobile Dealers Association

Breakout sessions
-Electric vehicles (GRE, LREC, and Steve Nisbet)
-Battery Storage and generators (Briggs & Stratton)
-LREC local options: generators, water heaters, and solar

In 2022 and 2023, Lake Region hosted an energy forum featuring speakers/topics making today’s headlines. Below is a recording of the most recent event, along with a list of key topics for 2023 (click on each topic to be brought directly to a video of that part of the meeting). 

2023 Energy Forum Speakers & Topics

Click on each of the links below to be taken directly to that topic.

Tim Thompson, CEO, Lake Region Electric Cooperative

Darrick Moe, CEO, Minnesota Rural Electric Association

Priti Patel, Vice President & Chief Transmission Officer, Great River Energy

Zac Ruzycki, Director of Resource Planning, Great River Energy

Tolu O. Omotoso, Director of Energy Solutions, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Julie Lucas, Executive Director, Mining Minnesota