Prairie Land Electric Cooperative

What Prairie Land Electric Cooperative does

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution cooperative headquartered in Norton, Kansas. Founded in 1938 as Norton-Decatur Cooperative Electric Company and reorganized under the Kansas Electric Cooperative Act in 1945, the cooperative was renamed following its 1997 merger with Northwest Kansas Electric Cooperative Association. It serves approximately 14,000 members through 24,000+ meters across 18 Northern Kansas Counties, operating nearly 7,000 miles of distribution line with 80+ full-time employees and a secondary service center in Concordia.

The cooperative's core product is electricity distribution, supported by automated meters with wireless communication, a SmartHub online portal offering hourly usage data and account management, real-time outage mapping, and multiple payment channels (online, phone, mail, in-person, auto-pay, prepaid). Ancillary offerings include authorized Kohler generator sales, TESCO surge protection rentals, rate schedules spanning residential, general service, irrigation, industrial, lighting, and net-metering/parallel-generation tariffs, energy-efficiency programs, community solar and rooftop solar education, youth programs, and bill-assistance programs (including LIEAP). Prairie Land purchases wholesale power from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, a Generation and Transmission cooperative, and participates indirectly in the 20 MW Johnson Corner Solar Project through a 25-year PPA.

Revenues are generated primarily through member electricity rates set to cover cost of service rather than generate profit, with margins allocated back to members as capital credits over time. Rate increases are explicitly scheduled (Service Access Charge ramped from $30 to $40/month over 2022-2024 following a 2021 Rate Study), a Power Cost Adjustment passes through wholesale costs monthly, and specialized tariffs (irrigation, industrial, demand-based commercial) capture load diversity across rural residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial segments. The cooperative operates as part of the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives national network and is financed in part through the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation.

Name

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative

Legal name

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://prairielandelectric.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution cooperative serving approximately 14,000 member-owners through 24,000+ meters across 18 Northern Kansas Counties, operating nearly 7,000 miles of distribution line from its Norton, Kansas headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Electric Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Solar Development & Subscription Management (EUAMAJAA)

Keywords

• Rural electric distribution
• Electric utility services
• Member-owned cooperative
• Electricity distribution
• Power distribution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electric Distribution Services: Prairie Land Electric is a not-for-profit electric cooperative. Rates are set to bring in sufficient revenues to cover operating costs and make loan payments on long-term debt. When revenues exceed expenses, margins are allocated to members as capital credits, representing each member's ownership of the cooperative. Capital credits are retired (repaid) to members in later years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution cooperative that purchases wholesale power from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and delivers electricity to nearly 14,000 members through over 24,000 meters and approximately 7,000 miles of distribution line across 18 Northern Kansas Counties. Core offerings include electric distribution, automated meters, the SmartHub online account management portal, multiple rate schedules and billing plans, and supplementary offerings such as Kohler standby generators, TESCO surge protection devices, and energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

Product overview

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric cooperative serving almost 14,000 members with over 24,000 meters in parts of 18 Northern Kansas Counties, headquartered in Norton, Kansas. The cooperative operates as a distribution utility purchasing power from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation (a Generation and Transmission cooperative). Its core offerings include electric distribution service, automated meters, SmartHub (online bill payment and account management portal), various rate schedules/tariffs, multiple billing plans (Traditional, Paperless, Budget, PrePaid), and diverse payment options. The cooperative also offers supplementary products including Kohler generator sales (as an authorized dealer), TESCO surge protection devices, capital credits programs, energy efficiency programs (Together We Save), renewable energy options (solar, community solar), youth programs, and bill assistance programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Touchstone Energy Cooperatives: A national brand identity for the extensive electric cooperative network. Prairie Land Electric is a member of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, which provides resources and leverages partnerships to help member cooperatives and their employees better engage and serve the members.

Products and services

• Electric Distribution Service Core electric distribution service delivering wholesale power purchased from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation to member-owners across 18 Northern Kansas Counties via nearly 7,000 miles of line. Serves nearly 14,000 members with over 24,000 meters.
• SmartHub Online Portal Online payment portal and account management system available via web browser and mobile app on Apple App Store and Google Play. Enables members to view electric use data down to the hour, compare months with temperature data, set usage markers and alerts, receive bill reminders, and manage paperless billing.
• Automated Meters Digital automated meters with wireless communication modules installed at member locations that enable remote reading, improved billing accuracy, outage location detection, and improved reliability. Members can monitor usage hourly through SmartHub.
• Outage Map Real-time outage information service providing visibility into which locations have power outages across the service territory, with summary views by county. Accessible online.
• Kohler Standby Generators Backup power generators sold by Prairie Land Electric as an authorized Kohler dealer. Generators are installed with a required double throw safety switch to provide residential and commercial backup power.
• TESCO TES 240 MSA Surge Arrester Surge protection device installed behind the watt meter that safely clamps and dissipates lightning induced AC line high voltage going to a residence. Offered at $5.99/month lease with a one-time $25 installation fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving nearly 14,000 members with over 24,000 meters across 18 Northern Kansas Counties
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mid-Kansas Electric Company, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2007Prairie Land joined five other member cooperatives of Mid-Kansas Electric Company, LLC to complete an acquisition of the West Plains Kansas electric properties owned by Aquila, Inc. on April 1, 2007. This transaction extended Prairie Land's service area eastward to include customers in Smith, Osborne, Jewell, Mitchell, Republic, Cloud, Washington, and Clay counties.
• Sunflower Electric Power CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1957Prairie Land Electric purchases electricity from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, a Generation and Transmission (G&T) cooperative created in 1957 by six rural electric cooperatives in western Kansas. Sunflower Electric owns and operates generation and transmission assets that crisscross 36 central and western Kansas counties. Prairie Land is represented on Sunflower Electric's board by trustees Sandra Benoit and Kirk Girard.
• Touchstone Energy CooperativescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTouchstone Energy Cooperatives is a national brand identity network of electric cooperatives across 46 states serving more than 30 million member-owners. Prairie Land Electric is a member of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, which provides resources and leverages partnerships to help member cooperatives better engage and serve their members.
• Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (KEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. is a statewide association of electric cooperatives. Prairie Land Electric is a member and is represented on KEC's board by Trustee Keith Ross with Alternate Kirk Girard.
• KohlerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrairie Land Electric is an authorized Kohler dealer, offering standby generators to members with required double throw safety switches for safe installation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Evergy, Inc. Investor-owned utility serving Kansas and Missouri with overlapping service territory adjacent to Prairie Land. Not a direct competitor in Prairie Land's exclusive zones, but a relevant benchmark for retail rates, reliability standards, and grid modernization expectations in Kansas.
• ITC Great Plains: Independent transmission operator in the SPP footprint operating high-voltage transmission assets across Kansas. Comparable as a regulated electric infrastructure operator whose capital decisions and reliability benchmarks shape Prairie Land's interconnected environment.

Others

• Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (KEC): Statewide trade association for Kansas electric cooperatives of which Prairie Land is a member. Adjacent ecosystem participant that provides shared services, advocacy, and youth/safety programming across the same cooperative network.

Direct peers

• Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative: Member-owned rural electric cooperative in western Kansas with similar residential, farm, and irrigation customer segments. Operates under identical Kansas cooperative regulatory framework and Touchstone Energy branding.
• FreeState Electric Cooperative: Distribution cooperative serving northeast Kansas. Comparable cooperative governance, capital credit allocation, AMI deployment, and tariff structure; useful peer for benchmarking operating cost per meter in Kansas.
• Sunflower Electric Power Corporation: Generation & Transmission cooperative created in 1957 by six rural electric cooperatives, supplying wholesale power to Prairie Land. Directly comparable as a member-owned Kansas electric cooperative under the same Touchstone Energy umbrella, though operating upstream in the value chain.
• Midwest Energy, Inc. Member-owned electric cooperative serving rural western Kansas with overlapping distribution territory and a similar mix of residential, agricultural irrigation, and industrial load. Operates under the same cooperative governance and tax structure as Prairie Land.
• Victory Electric Cooperative: Rural electric distribution cooperative in southwestern Kansas with comparable member-owned structure, Touchstone Energy affiliation, and at-cost service model. Highly comparable on customer mix (farm/ranch and small commercial) and capital credit treatment.
• Wheatland Electric Cooperative: Distribution cooperative headquartered in Scott City, Kansas, serving members across western Kansas. Comparable franchise footprint, member density, agricultural irrigation load, and reliance on wholesale power from Sunflower Electric.
• Nemaha-Marshall Electric Cooperative: Northeast Kansas rural electric cooperative with similar member scale (under 20,000 meters) and load profile. Comparable in capital intensity and reliance on Sunflower/grid-supplied wholesale power.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PLECOOP
• Xx.com/PLECoop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Prairie Land Electric Cooperative