Economic Development
Benton REA Buys Land for New Administration Building in West Richland
Electric prices will not increase due to phased construction schedule. After years of research, the Benton REA Board of Trustees approved the purchase of 17.79 acres on Keene Road in West Richland in December 2021. The land will be home to a new Benton REA administration building, with room to add operations facilities, truck bays…
Ruppert Substation to be Energized in December
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.…
Benton REA Pays Back $1.75 Million to Members
Benton REA will pay back more than $1.75 million in ownership credits this summer. This amount is shared among more than 17,400 active and inactive members. People and businesses that receive electricity from Benton REA are members and owners of the cooperative. All utilities have margins, but only electric cooperatives like Benton REA allocate and…
Benton REA Donates $15K to Local Food Banks
Fifteen thousand dollars is helping feed local families thanks to Benton REA and matching funds from CoBank, one of the utility’s lenders. Benton REA received a $7,500 matching grant from the CoBank Sharing Success program. Together, the $15,000 donation will help families through three organizations within the Benton REA member service area. Nine thousand dollars…
Co-op Connections App Offers Local Coupons Without Scissors
Co-op Connections is a free coupons program brought to you by Benton REA. Benton REA wants to help you stretch every dollar when running errands, planning a trip or taking care of you and your family. Your Co-op Connections Card will help you to save money at local restaurants, service providers and retailers. The card…
Wanted: Donation Requests
Benton REA is seeking community donation requests. Those meeting the following guidelines will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis. Only one donation request greater than $200 per organization, activity or group will be considered per calendar year. A maximum of three total donations per organization each year will be awarded. Requests exceeding $500 may be…
Prosser Public Charging Station Operational
On May 11, Prosser gained an electric vehicle (EV) fast charger at 20 Merlot Drive, near the Verizon store and Chevron. The EV fast-charging station is the last to be energized as part of a nine-station network along Washington state highway corridors designed to enhance interstate and intrastate EV travel. The others are in Cle…