Energy Trail Tour

North West Rural Electric Cooperative (NWREC) member-owners will travel to the Dakotas this summer on three Energy Trail Tours, offered through NWREC and its wholesale power provider, Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO).

The tours, scheduled for June 18-20, June 25-27, and July 9-11, provide member-owners a personal journey to learn about electric generation and meet the people responsible for providing the electric power that is delivered to their homes, farms, and businesses in western Iowa. Tours help to showcase, first-hand, the value of an electric generation portfolio that includes coal as a part of America's energy mix. Three days of experiencing the passion, innovation, and dedication of NWREC's power providers shapes member perceptions of how electricity is generated in a carbon-constrained world.

Tours will showcase electric generation facilities including hydro, coal-fired and wind and will also educate participants on the benefits of carbon capture and the land stewardship efforts at Coteau Properties' Freedom Mine.

In addition to the tours of the facilities, members will learn about rural electric cooperative history; gain a new understanding and pride in cooperative ownership; and engage with other fellow member-owners across western Iowa in a fun three-day adventure across the upper Midwest.

Twelve lucky couples from North West REC will be selected at random from those who sign up. The out-of-pocket cost for our members is just $100 per couple. All lodging, meals and entry fees are included in that cost.

Fill out the Bus tour form. Trips are taken during the summer and sign-up begins around the start of the year. Watch your newsletter for more details. There will be no restrictions and no mask mandate. If you do not feel comfortable taking this trip due to COVID or other health concerns, please refrain from signing up or consider waiting until next years tour to sign up. There will be a lot of stairs and walking each day on this trip, so please consider if this will be an issue for you before signing up.

Click here for the: Bus Tour Form please fill it out and return it to the office or sign up using the form below. Must sign up by April 25, 2025.

Energy Trail Tour Sign Up Form

Signing up does not guarantee you will go on the trip. Twelve lucky couples from North West REC will be selected at random from those who sign up. Members will be notified at the end of May if they are selected to go on the trip. The out-of-pocket cost for our members is just $100 per couple. All lodging, meals and entry fees are included in that cost.

YES, please enter our names in the drawing for the trip. We understand that if our names are drawn, we will be billed $100