Verendrye Electric Cooperative provides electricity to homes, farms and businesses in seven counties. Verendrye is headquartered in Velva, has a full service center in Minot and outposts in Harvey and at the Minot Air Force Base.
If you receive power from Verendrye Electric, it means you are a member-owner of the cooperative. You get to vote for local people to serve on the cooperative’s board of directors and the non-profit cooperative returns money to its members in the form of capital credits.
We pride ourselves on providing friendly, local customer service. You are welcome to visit our Velva or Minot locations where you can learn about the services we provide, set up new service or pay your bill. You can also call us at 1-800-472-2141 or 701-852-0406.
You can also watch this short video to learn a quick overview of cooperatives.
The Progress of Power: Timeline of Verendrye Electric
1800's
Local communities started to organize in McHenry County
January 23, 1939
Verendrye Electric Cooperative is formed and is named after the town where it was located. An abandoned bank in Verendrye was the Cooperative’s first office.
March 1941
Verendrye moved its headquarters from Verendrye to Main Street in Velva.
July 1955
Verendrye announced it would power the Minot Air Force Base.
June 1957
Verendrye moved its headquarters to the west edge of Velva.
April 1965
The North Dakota Territorial Integrity Act became law, which helped resolve disputes amongst electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities.
March 1981
Verendrye began serving the Dakota Square Mall in Minot.
March 1983
An ice storm caused major damage to Verendrye’s system, downing 2,200 poles and 122 miles of power line.
2011
Verendrye was awarded a 50 year contract to own and maintain electrical facilities at the Minot Air Force Base.
June 2011
The Souris River brought historic flooding to the area, nearly 1,000 VEC members are affected.
Summer 2013
Verendrye completes a new addition to the Velva office, the first in 33 years.
