As we close out 2025 and look ahead to a new year, our focus turns toward the future of the cooperative. At Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative, planning ahead is essential for ensuring we continue providing safe, reliable, and affordable service to our members. The energy industry is changing rapidly, and the expectations of our communities continue to grow. To stay ahead of these changes, your Board of Directors and cooperative staff have been engaged in several long-term planning efforts, each designed to strengthen our operations and guide our work in the years ahead.
Long-Term Load Forecast
One of the foundational tools in our planning process is our long-term load forecast. This forecast examines expected energy demand across our service territory based on:
- Beneficial electrification trends
- Electric vehicle adoption
- Housing and population growth
- Commercial and agricultural development
- Member behavior and technology changes
Understanding where load is headed helps us plan for future infrastructure needs, prioritize investments, and ensure our system is prepared to meet the demands of tomorrow.
Long-Term Financial Forecast
In addition to understanding future energy usage, the Board and staff have developed a long-range financial forecast to look ahead at how the cooperative’s financial needs may evolve. This includes:
- Anticipated power supply cost changes
- Capital investment needs
- Inflationary pressures
- Borrowing strategies
- Rate stability considerations
This forecast helps us make responsible, data-informed decisions so we can continue providing affordable service while maintaining the financial strength of the cooperative.
Four-Year Work Plan
Our four-year work plan serves as a detailed operational roadmap, outlining the specific construction, maintenance, and infrastructure projects needed to support reliability across our system. This plan identifies:
- Line replacements and sectionalizing improvements
- Substation and distribution line upgrades
- System maintenance priorities
- Equipment and technology investments
- Safety and reliability enhancements
The work plan ensures our resources are focused on the right projects at the right time, balancing reliability needs with cost efficiency.
Five-Year Strategic Plan
The Board of Directors also met in May to create the cooperative’s five-year strategic plan, which defines the high-level goals guiding our Board and staff. These are the long-term priorities that shape our direction and reflect what we need to invest in to serve members well into the future.
The Board has identified six core strategic goals for the next five years:
- Explore New Technologies
Evaluate emerging tools, software, automation, and beneficial electrification technologies that can improve reliability and member service. - Vegetation Management Rotation
Maintain a predictable, funded, long-term vegetation management cycle to reduce outages and enhance system performance. - Rate Design
Continue refining cost-based, equitable rate structures that reflect today’s power supply costs and future load growth. - Power Supply
Explore whether there are additional or alternative power supply options that could reduce costs for our members. Strengthen education efforts to help members understand how power supply works, what drives wholesale costs, and how TWEC’s decisions impact long-term affordability and reliability. - Shaping Legislative & Regulatory Policy
Advocate for policies that protect cooperative members and ensure rural voices are represented at the state and federal levels. - Member Events & Engagement
Strengthen communication and expand opportunities for members to connect, learn, and stay involved with their cooperative.
Each of these planning efforts—load forecasting, financial forecasting, operational work planning, and strategic goal setting—plays a unique role in shaping the future of your cooperative. Taken together, they give us a clear, thoughtful roadmap for the years ahead.
Your Board of Directors is committed to transparency and long-view decision-making. We want you, our members, to know that the cooperative’s future is guided by data, planning, and the cooperative principles that have grounded us for 85 years.
Thank you for your continued trust and support as we work to build a stronger, more resilient energy future for the communities we serve.
Daniel Carlisle
President/CEO & General Counsel
