Governor Lombardo Visits Mt. Wheeler Power Cooperative to Highlight Rural Energy Infrastructure

Governor Joe Lombardo visited Mt. Wheeler Power Cooperative in Ely on Sunday to meet with the leadership team and highlight the vital role electric cooperatives play in delivering reliable power to Nevada's rural communities. He was joined by Kevin Robison, CEO; Rick Hendrix, Board President; and members of the Mt. Wheeler Power team for a tour and discussion on the cooperative's infrastructure, operations, and ongoing work to serve rural residents and businesses across eastern Nevada and western Utah.

"Reliable energy services are critical for rural communities, and the local businesses and industries that reside in these remote areas," said Governor Lombardo. "Mt. Wheeler Power Cooperative has spent more than five decades ensuring that families, ranchers, miners, and small towns across eastern Nevada, communities that were historically underserved by traditional utilities, have dependable electricity. I appreciate the strong partnership between state leaders and Mt. Wheeler Power that helps ensure Nevada's rural communities continue to grow and thrive."

The cooperative's extensive service territory represents one of the largest and most sparsely populated electric service areas in Nevada, making reliable infrastructure and affordable electricity essential for the rural communities and industries that depend on Mt. Wheeler Power.

Governor Lombardo's visit underscores his administration's support for rural infrastructure and reliable and affordable energy for rural communities across Nevada. The Lombardo administration has recently awarded the Nevada Rural Electric Association (NREA) with more than $8.3 million in grants to strengthen Nevada's grid resiliency while investing in wildfire prevention and promoting affordability for ratepayers. The NREA is a 100% pass-through organization with all grant funds going directly to the participating public-power utilities, which include Mt. Wheeler Power Cooperative, along with Alamo Power District No. 3, City of Boulder City, Lincoln County Power District No. 1, Raft River Rural Electric Cooperative, Overton Power District No. 5, Harney Electric Cooperative, Valley Electric Association, and Wells Rural Electric Cooperative.

You can see photos and videos from the visit as part of your coverage HERE.

Background on Mt. Wheeler Power Cooperative:
Mt. Wheeler Power Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative founded in 1970 to bring reliable electric service to rural communities that were historically underserved by traditional utilities. Today, Mt. Wheeler Power serves more than 4,500 memberships across a vast service territory spanning approximately 18,000 square miles in eastern Nevada and western Utah.

From remote ranches and mining operations to small towns and growing communities, Mt. Wheeler Power operates and maintains the infrastructure necessary to deliver dependable electric service across one of the most rural regions in the state.

About NREA:
The Nevada Rural Electric Association, founded in 1974, represents the interests of Nevada's public power consumer-owned utilities. This includes 10 distribution and 3 generation & transmission utilities. NREA's members are locally governed through elected boards, rather than shareholders by a private company. The board members and utility management are local rate-payers who are community members in their service territories.

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