Arlington, VA, February  25, 2013 – The Energy Department has awarded Golden Valley Electric Association in  Fairbanks, Alaska, the 2013 Wind Cooperative of the Year in the category of distribution cooperatives.

The 12th annual awards, presented at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) TechAdvantage Conference in New Orleans, honored Golden Valley Electric Association in Alaska for wind development by a distribution cooperative and South Dakota’s East River Electric Cooperative in the generation and transmission cooperative category. The award selections were made by a panel of wind industry, utility, government, national laboratory and cooperative experts.

Determined to get 20 percent of its peak load from renewable energy by 2014, Golden Valley developed the 25-MW Eva Creek Wind Farm in Ferry, AK. The remote site is located on ridge tops at the end of a 10-mile dirt road, previously used for mining and accessible only by railroad bridge, adding to the challenges the construction crew faced. All materials arrived by railroad, before being transported by truck along a road that had to be widened and straightened to accommodate the 147-foot-long blades. The cold-climate wind turbines’ generating capacity of nearly 25-MW is on track to help the cooperative meet its renewable goals ahead of schedule. Eva Creek may also save Golden Valley members as much as $4 million by the end of 2013.

“We’re proud to have the northern-most wind farm in North America of this size. That truly makes us unique. We appreciate the efforts of REpower and Michels in completing the project,” said Greg Wyman, manager of construction services and Eva Creek Wind project manager.

For more information on DOE's Wind Powering America outreach and stakeholder engagement initiative, visit windpoweringamerica.gov.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.