Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-Op Inc

Today serving over 20,000 meters, YVEC has been a rural electric cooperative since 1937 with a mission of "Providing the Power to Make Life Better"!

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill allowing Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to make low interest loans available to newly formed utilities such as YVEC.

On February 23, 1937, sixteen area Montana pioneers formed the Yellowstone Valley Electric Association, known today as Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. During the early 1940s, the Billings Substation was the first delivery point to come on line & serve the entire system. Over the years, YVEC has continued to grow & today YVEC has a total of 20 distribution substations, two transmission substations & over 2,500 miles of line serving almost 18,000 meters.

Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative is a private, non-profit electric cooperative, which supplies electricity to Montana member/owners in Yellowstone, Stillwater, Carbon, Big Horn, Musselshell, & Treasure Counties. Electric cooperatives, such as YVEC, are locally & equally owned by all the members they serve. Unlike privately owned utilities, YVEC is not owned by outside investors. Members pay the lowest possible electric rates because profit margins are not added to their monthly electric bill. Members will also receive a capital credit check when the elected Board of Directors determines that reserve funds may be distributed.

Members in each of our seven districts elect a director to represent them on the Board of Directors. Each year approximately 1/3 of the board is up for re-election. In electing a Director, each member of the Cooperative is allowed one vote at the annual meeting, which is held in March of each year.

Because YVEC is a nonprofit cooperative, any margins at year-end are allocated back to the members in the form of capital credits. When the financial condition of the cooperative is favorable, the Board of Directors authorizes retirement of these funds.