March 6, 2026
To support the Cooperative’s focus on sustainability and reliability for its members while transitioning to a lower carbon future, Dairyland Power Cooperative is announcing the purchase of existing natural gas-fired assets in Illinois.
This month, Dairyland purchased three combustion turbines (450 MW) at the Elwood Energy LLC in Elwood, Ill., from J-POWER USA.
“These strategic investments are foundational to meeting the long-term reliability and resource needs of our rural communities. As we advance a balanced, diversified energy portfolio to support rising demand across our service territory, these units will play a vital role in delivering the dependable energy our members count on every day,” said Brent Ridge, Dairyland President and CEO.
Since 2014, Dairyland has retired nearly 600 MW of coal generation and has been awarded a $595 million New Empowering Rural America (New ERA) federal grant. Through the grant, Dairyland will secure power purchase agreements for approximately 1,000 MW of wind and solar projects in the Midwest, while investing in critical transmission upgrades that support grid reliability and resiliency.
In Illinois, Dairyland currently serves JCE Co-op, headquartered in Elizabeth. Dairyland owns Elgin Energy Center in Elgin and Rocky Road Energy Center in East Dundee. This summer, Dairyland will welcome Norris Electric Cooperative in Newton as a wholesale power supply customer.
About Dairyland Power Cooperative: Dairyland was formed in December 1941. Headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides the wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities. These cooperatives and municipals, in turn, supply the energy needs of more than 750,000 people in the four-state service area. Visit DairylandPower.com.
About J-POWER USA Development Co., Ltd.: J-POWER USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of J-POWER North America Holdings Co., Ltd. which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (“J-POWER”) with headquarters located in Tokyo, Japan. J-POWER USA, headquartered in the greater Chicago area, has a long-term strategy to acquire, develop, finance, and operate power generation facilities in North America through its team of power professionals with a proven track record of successfully developing and acquiring power projects in the IPP sector.
J-POWER stock is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In the fiscal year ending March 2025, J-POWER had revenues of US$8.8 billion and assets of approximately US $24.5 billion. With approximately 26,000 megawatts of net ownership, J-POWER is one of the world’s largest independent generators of electricity, owning 98 power plants in Japan and 32 international IPP investments.