Ruppert Substation to be Energized in December

Ruppert Substation bus work

Benton REA’s newest electric distribution substation is scheduled to come online in December. This eight-bay power distribution hub will receive 115 kilovolt electricity from Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines near Ruppert Road in West Richland. It will transform the high-voltage electricity to 12.4 kV, making it ready to send through Benton REA’s distribution power lines.…

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Member’s Photo Featured on Cover of 2022 Ruralite Calendar

On the cover of the 2022 Ruralite calendar, highlighted by evening light, a farmer’s crops grow near an old grain elevator. PHOTO BY HAROLD CARLSON

The cover photo on the 2022 Ruralite calendar was submitted by Benton REA member and amature photographer Harold Carlson of West Richland. “I drove down this gravel road and saw this structure,” Harold says. “The evening light was hitting it so well and luckily the farmer’s crops were starting to show up. I got lucky…

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Support Local and Save

The Benton REA Co-op Connections Card

Use Your Benton REA Co-op Connections Card to save at local businesses this holiday shopping season. Gift wish lists are being made with haste and it’s getting a little colder outside. The holiday shopping season is right around the corner. Speaking of around the corner, there are plenty of locally owned businesses in our neck…

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Your Feedback Needed on Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation

Illustration by Atilla N. Wind, solar and hydropower landscape with a river and mountains

The Clean Energy Transformation Act, passed in 2019 by the Washington Legislature, requires Benton REA to file a Clean Energy Implementation Plan. Benton REA is seeking member input on this plan. Clean energy is electricity that does not produce carbon or other greenhouse gases as it is generated. Examples include hydro, solar, wind, geothermal and…

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Ostrom Mushroom Farms Receives $102K Energy-Efficiency Rebate

Ostrom Mushroom Farms Energy-Efficiency Rebate 2021

Ostrom Mushroom Farms accepted a $102,585 energy-efficiency rebate from Benton REA, its electric cooperative utility, on November 18, for construction and installation of energy-saving equipment at their Sunnyside facility. In 2019, Ostrom’s installed several energy-efficient measures including LED lighting, water-cooled chiller equipment and variable frequency drives on air handlers, cooling tower fans, boiler fans and…

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PowerNET Launches Broadband Internet – November 2021 Manager’s Message

Monthly Manager's Message Header - Powerlines against a sunset

Dear Members, Broadband is internet access operating at 25 megabits per second or faster. That means you can stream movies, play online video games and scroll your social media all at the same time. But beyond entertainment, accessible and affordable broadband can truly transform a rural community by allowing employees to work from home and…

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