service area

High Plains Power, Inc. is a member owned electric cooperative serving just over 12,400 customers in central Wyoming. High Plains has over 4,770 miles of powerline covering 10,000 square miles in parts of Fremont, Hot Springs, Washakie, Natrona, Carbon, Big Horn, Johnson and Park counties.

High Plains Power was formed in 1998 when the memberships of the former Riverton Valley Electric Association and Hot Springs Rural Electric Association voted to consolidate.

We are one of 44 member-owners of Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, our power supplier, of Denver, Colorado. High Plains is a member of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and is also a member of a nationwide consortium of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives.

High Plains Power is headquartered in Riverton, Wyoming with branch offices in Thermopolis and Dubois and a service center in Casper, Wyoming.

Service Area Map

system statistics - 2009

• Workforce - 54 employees
• Meters - 12,573
• Energy Sales - 968 million kWh
• Assets - $88 million
• Annual Revenue - $86 million
• Operating Margin - $1.7 million
• Overhead distribution line - 3,959 miles
• Underground distribution line - 512 miles
• Transmission line - 321 miles
• Substations - 47

Where it Came From and Where it Went

The following two pie charts show how High Plains Power received its revenues and where the money went in expenses for 2009.

2009 Revenues

2009 Expenses

Capital Credits

As a cooperative we ultimately return these margins or capital credits to our member-owners. As the financial status of the co-op permits, the board of directors will decide to retire some of these capital credits by returning them to the members. Under current board policy, capital credits are being retired on a twenty-year rotation. This year High Plains Power retired $1.75 million in capital credits that were allocated by Riverton Valley Electric in 1992-1993 and Hot Springs REA in 1993. Capital credit checks were mailed out on December 2009.