Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative

What Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative does

Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving 19,000+ members across Mountrail and Williams Counties in northwestern North Dakota. Founded in 1991 through the merger of Mountrail Electric Cooperative and Williams Electric Cooperative, the cooperative operates from three office locations — Williston (headquarters), Stanley, and New Town — with approximately 130 full-time employees. MWEC holds the exclusive electricity distribution franchise within its service territory and purchases approximately 99% of its power from Basin Electric Power Cooperative, a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative serving member-owners in nine states.

The cooperative's core product is reliable electricity delivery, augmented by a portfolio of member-facing digital, financial, and community programs. The SmartHub platform (web and mobile) handles billing, payments, usage monitoring, and outage alerts. Member financial programs include Budget Billing (rolling-average smoothing), PowerUP Prepaid (pay-as-you-go), Capital Credits (20-25 year FIFO retirement of excess revenues), AC-Heat Rate (saving approximately $100/month in peak heating season), and a $500 Water Heater rebate. Notable recent technology deployments include STATCOM voltage regulation equipment energized in New Town in October 2025 and a drone-robot bird diverter installation system deployed in May 2026 to protect migratory birds on overhead lines.

MWEC generates revenue through monthly electricity sales structured as base charges plus per-kWh rates, with commercial rates tiered by transformer size (75-2000 KVA for oil well service). The cooperative is implementing an approximately 10% rate increase effective January 2026, its first residential rate increase since 2009, driven by rising wholesale costs from Basin Electric. Commercial activity is concentrated in oil & gas (Bakken region) and agricultural (irrigation, grain drying) segments. Community engagement includes scholarships, the Youth Tour, Impact Grants (up to $25,000), Operation Round Up, a High School Lineworker training partnership, and a new Stanley office building scheduled to open in fall 2026 with capacity for up to 40 employees.

Name

Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative

Legal name

Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative

Website

https://mwec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving 19,000+ residential, commercial, and agricultural members across Mountrail and Williams Counties in northwestern North Dakota, with electricity sourced primarily from Basin Electric.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Electric Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Electric & Other Services Combined (4931)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies) (EUADABAI), Retail Electric Providers / Competitive Distribution Utilities (where applicable) (EUADABAE), Utility & Underground Distribution Cable (URD/Substation) (IMADAMAG), Power Cables & Conductors (LV/MV cables, flexible cables, bus wire, armored cable) (IMAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Rural electric distribution
• Electric cooperative services
• Member-owned utility
• Electricity billing platform
• Energy assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Williston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electricity Sales: Monthly electricity sales to residential, commercial, and agricultural members. Revenue generated from base charges and per-kilowatt-hour rates. As a not-for-profit cooperative, excess revenue is returned to members as capital credits.
2. Water Heater Rebates: Program offering $500 rebates on qualifying water heaters; members responsible for installation and maintenance.
3. Yard Light Program: LED yard light upgrades and installations for members, including maintenance services for non-LED lights.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative that delivers electricity to residential, commercial, and agricultural members across Mountrail and Williams Counties in northwestern North Dakota. The cooperative purchases approximately 99% of its power from Basin Electric Power Cooperative and resells it through owned distribution infrastructure, enhanced by programs such as Budget Billing, PowerUP Prepaid Service, AC-Heat Rate, and a SmartHub digital account management platform.

Product overview

Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric utility serving rural members in Mountrail and Williams Counties, North Dakota. The cooperative operates as a single unified product (electric power distribution) enhanced by multiple member-facing programs and services. The core offering centers on delivering safe, reliable, and affordable electricity, supported by the SmartHub digital platform for account management, billing, and usage monitoring. Member programs include Budget Billing and PowerUP Prepaid for payment flexibility, Capital Credits for member ownership returns, Operation Round Up for community fundraising, and Energy Assistance for low-income members. Rate programs like AC-Heat Rate and Water Heater Program offer discounted pricing for qualifying members. The cooperative also provides safety services (Outage Center, Vegetation Management, Wildfire Preparedness), educational initiatives (Scholarships, Youth Tour, Lineworker Training), and community support (Impact Grant, Donations/Sponsorships, Economic Development). In 2026, MWEC announced a 10% rate increase effective January 2026, driven by wholesale power costs from Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electricity Distribution Service Core retail electricity distribution service delivering power purchased from Basin Electric Power Cooperative (99% of supply) to residential, commercial, and agricultural members across rural northwestern North Dakota via owned distribution infrastructure.
• SmartHub Digital account management platform (web portal and mobile app) that enables members to view and pay bills, monitor energy usage, set alerts and notifications, and manage paperless billing and account preferences.
• PowerUP Prepaid Service Prepaid electricity program allowing members to pay before use with daily usage calculations and low balance notifications; available to single-phase, non-demand services with 200 amp service or less, with no deposit, due dates, reconnect fees, or late fees.
• Yard Light LED Program Outdoor LED area lighting installation and upgrade service featuring Evluma Areamax 55 Watt, 7,800 Lumen fixtures at a $400 flat fee (or $50/month for 8 months), with non-LED repair at $100 flat fee; LED yard lights cost approximately $20/year versus $50/year for non-LED lights.
• Water Heater Rebate Program Rebate program offering members a $500 rebate on qualifying electric water heaters (50+ gallons, dual elements, 8-year warranty) when replacing a gas heater, replacing a failed heater, or for new installations, subject to a 5-year load control agreement.
• Oil Well Service Request Specialized service request program for oil well operators in the Bakken region providing power delivery with service sizes ranging from 75 KVA to 2000 KVA.
• Start/Stop/Transfer Service Service initiation, termination, and transfer program enabling members to start new electric service, stop existing service, or transfer service to a new location, with residential and commercial membership options.
• High School Lineworker & Electrician Program Workforce development program partnering with NDAREC and Bismarck Public Schools Career Academy to provide high school students with hands-on training in electronics and electrical skills, including pole climbing, AC/DC theory, and powerline fabrication.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average savings of $100/month during peak heating season with AC-Heat rate
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Basin Electric Power CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBasin Electric is MWEC's generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative provider, supplying 99% of MWEC's power. They are a G&T cooperative representing 139 member-owners in 9 states serving 3 million member-owners. This is MWEC's primary power supplier relationship.
• North Dakota Association of Rural Electric CooperativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the High School Lineworker & Electrician Program, providing lab-based electronics and electrical skills training for high school students in the electric industry.
• Bismarck Public Schools Career AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the High School Lineworker & Electrician Program, offering students high school elective credit through the Career Academy for the summer program.
• AsplundhminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVegetation management contractor performing tree trimming and vegetation management services in MWEC's service area to maintain power line reliability.
• ND Department of Commerce State Energy ProgramminorOthersGrant provider for the High School Lineworker & Electrician Program, enabling free program participation for high school students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Beltrami Electric Cooperative: Minnesota rural electric distribution cooperative. Comparable member-owned cooperative model and distribution operations, though operating in a different regional market.
• Stearns Electric Association: Minnesota member-owned electric distribution cooperative. Comparable in business model and rural distribution operations, but serving a different geographic market.

Direct peers

• McKenzie Electric Cooperative: North Dakota electric distribution cooperative also serving the Bakken oil region. Highly comparable as a rural electric cooperative with significant commercial oil field load in adjacent territory.
• Verendrye Electric Cooperative: North Dakota electric distribution cooperative serving rural members across multiple counties. Closely comparable in scale, business model, and member-owned cooperative structure.
• Capital Electric Cooperative: North Dakota rural electric distribution cooperative. Comparable in size and operational scope, serving residential, commercial, and agricultural members under the cooperative model.
• North Star Electric Cooperative: North Dakota electric distribution cooperative serving rural members. Directly comparable as a member-owned distribution utility operating in northwestern North Dakota.
• Cass County Electric Cooperative: North Dakota electric cooperative serving a mix of rural and suburban members. Comparable cooperative business model and distribution utility operations, though serving a different geographic region.

Broad incumbents

• Basin Electric Power Cooperative: MWEC's parent G&T cooperative supplying 99% of its power and serving 3 million member-owners across 9 states. Highly relevant as the upstream supplier and MWEC's parent entity, providing scale and bulk power services.
• Central Power Electric Cooperative: Regional generation and transmission cooperative serving multiple North Dakota distribution members. Comparable as a G&T cooperative with similar member-ownership structure and wholesale power supply role.
• Minnkota Power Cooperative: Regional generation and transmission cooperative serving rural electric distribution members in North Dakota and Minnesota. Comparable in scale and G&T cooperative model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mwelectric-nd
• Facebookfacebook.com/mwelectric
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2081290
• Xx.com/mwelectric

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative