Cass County Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Cass County Electric Cooperative (CCEC) is a member-owned electric cooperative serving roughly 59,700 accounts across 10 counties in southeastern North Dakota, with power supplied by Minnkota Power Cooperative. It runs the NISC SmartHub platform with strong self-service billing, hourly interval data, and Green Button XML export, and is integrating a 280 MW data center load near Harwood.
Cass County Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Single-Phase Commercial (RC 102) | Commercial | $28.50/mo + $0.089/kWh + PPA | Small single-phase businesses |
| Small Three-Phase Commercial <50 kW (RC 200) | Commercial | $60.00/mo + $0.092/kWh + PPA | Small three-phase businesses |
| Large Three-Phase Commercial >50 kW | Commercial | Contact us (demand-based) | Larger demand-metered C&I |
| Time-of-Day Program | Commercial | Peak/off-peak (see program) | Shiftable load profiles |
| Large Load / Data Center | Industrial | Negotiated agreement | Multi-MW loads |
Market Overview
CCEC operates in North Dakota's regulated market with no retail supplier choice. Rates are board-set (cooperatives are largely exempt from NDPSC rate jurisdiction) and wholesale power comes from Minnkota Power Cooperative. A monthly Purchased Power Adjustment passes through wholesale fuel/power cost changes.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Cass County Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Rates below are CCEC's published general service rates; all are in addition to the monthly Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA). Large three-phase commercial service (>50 kW) and very large/data-center loads are quoted on request ('Contact us') and are not published.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Single-Phase Commercial (RC 102) | commercial | Small single-phase commercial accounts. | Basic monthly charge + flat energy charge, plus PPA. | $28.50/mo basic; $0.089/kWh (plus PPA)+ None |
| Small Three-Phase Commercial <50 kW (RC 200) | commercial | Three-phase commercial under 50 kW. | Basic monthly charge + flat energy charge, plus PPA. | $60.00/mo basic; $0.092/kWh (plus PPA)+ None |
| Large Three-Phase Commercial >50 kW | commercial | Three-phase commercial/industrial greater than 50 kW. | Demand-based pricing quoted on request; plus PPA. | Contact us (not published)+ Quoted on request |
| Time-of-Day Program | commercial | Members electing time-differentiated pricing. | Peak/off-peak energy pricing; details on the Time of Day program page. | Time-differentiated (see program page)+ Program-specific |
| Large Load / Data Center Agreement | industrial | Very large loads such as the ~280 MW Harwood data center. | Negotiated agreement; developer funds required infrastructure. Not published. | Negotiated (not published)+ Per agreement |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Small three-phase commercial
Small three-phase businesses under 50 kW use the published RC 200 schedule.
Flat $0.092/kWh plus the $60 basic charge is simple; total cost is driven mainly by the monthly PPA.
- Watch the PPA line item month to month
- Consider Time-of-Day if load is shiftable
Larger demand-metered C&I (>50 kW)
Commercial loads above 50 kW move to demand-based pricing quoted by CCEC.
Pricing is not published; the Business Accounts team quotes demand-based rates, so peak management and interval data analysis are the main levers.
- Request the demand-based quote and interval data via Business Accounts
- Use SmartHub Green Button/API data to find and shave peaks
Shiftable / flexible operations
Operations that can move load benefit from the Time-of-Day or off-peak program.
Time-differentiated pricing rewards shifting discretionary load off peak.
- Map your load profile against peak windows
- Combine with demand management for >50 kW accounts
Multi-MW / data-center load
Very large loads negotiate dedicated agreements with developer-funded infrastructure.
As with the ~280 MW Harwood project, multi-MW loads are served via negotiated agreements coordinated with Minnkota.
- Engage CCEC early for interconnection and capacity planning
- Plan to fund required substation/transmission upgrades
Historical Rate Trends
CCEC retail rates are board-set and move primarily with the monthly Purchased Power Adjustment, which reflects Minnkota wholesale power and fuel costs. CCEC has publicly flagged rising wholesale power costs heading into 2026.
January 1, 2026
CCEC communicated rising wholesale power costs from Minnkota, increasing upward pressure on the PPA and retail rates.
n/aOverall trend: Upward pressure from rising Minnkota wholesale power costs, passed through via the PPA.
Next expected change: Tied to Minnkota wholesale rate changes and monthly PPA adjustments.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because published CCEC energy rates are flat, C&I cost control centers on the PPA-driven total cost, load shifting via the Time-of-Day and off-peak programs, and demand management for >50 kW accounts on quoted demand-based pricing.
Shift load to off-peak / Time-of-Day
For: C&I with shiftable loads
Enroll in the Time-of-Day or off-peak/demand-response program to move flexible load to lower-cost periods.
Manage demand on >50 kW service
For: Commercial >50 kW
Large commercial accounts are quoted demand-based pricing; reducing coincident peak kW lowers demand charges.
Track the Purchased Power Adjustment
For: All C&I
Monitor the monthly PPA, which drives most rate variability, and time discretionary usage when wholesale costs are lower.
Negotiate large-load agreements
For: Very large / data-center loads
Multi-MW loads (e.g., data centers) negotiate dedicated agreements where the developer funds infrastructure, as with the Harwood project.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Cass County Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a C&I customer at CCEC get interval usage data?▾
Use SmartHub to view hourly usage and export Green Button XML (up to 14 months). For 15-minute data and automation, request SmartHub API/OAuth credentials through the Business Accounts team (Todd Bollinger, tbollinger@kwh.com).
Can a consultant or aggregator pull our data automatically?▾
Yes, with customer authorization. The Business Accounts team can provide a third-party portal login, SmartHub API credentials, or periodic CSV/XML bulk exports. The community-documented SmartHub OAuth API is the most reliable automated path.
What format is CCEC interval data delivered in?▾
Green Button exports are zipped XML in NAESB REQ.21 ESPI format with hourly intervals. The SmartHub API can return finer 15-minute interval and cost data, typically as JSON convertible to CSV.
Does CCEC support EDI for high-volume billing?▾
EDI support is not publicly documented. Business customers should contact the Business Accounts team to confirm whether 820/810/867 transactions and AS2/SFTP/VAN connectivity are available.
How is the large Harwood data center load handled?▾
The ~280 MW Applied Digital data center near Harwood is served by Minnkota and CCEC, with the developer funding necessary substation/transmission upgrades. Large new loads are handled through dedicated infrastructure agreements rather than the standard general-service rates.
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