
What Is A Co-op?
A cooperative business owned and governed by its members. Providing electric service the cooperative way distinguishes electric cooperatives from investor-owned and municipal electric utilities. Flathead Electric is a not-for-profit cooperative that operates for the benefit of its members, rather than investors. Our members, staff, and trustees are all part of the community we serve.
Our Mission
The mission of Flathead Electric, a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative, is to provide competitive and reliable services, achieve the highest level of member satisfaction, and enhance the quality of life in our communities.
Our Story
1936
President Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to provide funding to electrify rural homes.

1937 to 1938
On September 20, 1937, a group of neighbors formed Flathead Electric Cooperative to bring power to their homes and farms. In December 1938 the initial 82 miles of line were energized and 117 Flathead farm homes had electricity for the first time!

1974 to 1975
The building that Flathead Electric Co-op currently occupies at 2510 US Highway 2 E, Kalispell, was constructed during this time frame, and we’re still here.

1998
Flathead Electric Co-op purchased investor-owned utility PacificCorp, expanding its service area to the municipalities of Kalispell and Whitefish, all of the Libby area, and Cooke City, Montana.

2009
Your Co-op and the Flathead County Landfill launched the landfill-gas-to-energy power plant – the first such project in Montana.

2015
Your Co-op unveiled Community Solar Phase I with 356 solar panels on Whitefish Stage Road.

2018
Flathead Electric Cooperative purchased its first electric car, a Chevy Bolt, in an effort to understand and prepare for the emerging technology of electric vehicles.

2023
Your Co-op expanded the landfill gas-to-energy plant by installing a second engine, doubling the generating capacity.

How We’ve Grown
Many things have changed since those first miles of power lines were strung across the Flathead Valley, but the cooperative spirit of neighbor helping neighbor still guides us.
We are ready for the challenges and changes of the 21st Century. But one thing hasn’t changed: we’re still
neighbors, a local company owned by those we serve.
Who Regulates Flathead Electric Cooperative?
A 9-member Board of Trustees
- Elected by cooperative members
- Represent each of 9 service districts

Your Co-op by the Numbers
75094
meters
5014
total miles of energized line (over half of which is underground)
Founded in
1937
97%
carbon-free fuel mix
Last updated January 2, 2024
7 Cooperative Principles
Cooperatives around the world operate according to the same set of core principles and values, adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance.
Cooperatives trace the roots of these principles to the first modern cooperative founded in Rochdale, England in 1844.
These principles are a key reason that America’s electric cooperatives operate differently from other electric utilities — co-ops put the needs of their members first.