NRECA

Massive amounts of new generation will be needed to meet skyrocketing electricity demand over the coming years. How much is needed, and what does that look like for each generation type? Take a look ⬇️

Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied NRECA's motion to stay the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant rule, dealing another blow to electric reliability NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said.

Read the full press release here: https://bit.ly/3zXy2zu

Electricity demand hit a new record on Monday, a trend that will continue as more of the economy is electrified.

As demand rises, deploying a balanced mix of energy sources, including always-available generation, has never been more important. Read more: https://bit.ly/4bO19mm

Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association and Trico Electric Cooperative are part of a group of volunteers with Light Up Navajo. Recently, they traveled to the Navajo Nation to electrify some of the 13,000 families still living without power.

Read more from CNN ⬇️

As it gets hotter, 13,000 families in this pocket of America live without electricity | CNN As global temperatures keep rising, the rush to fully electrify one of the poorest regions in the United States is more urgent than ever.

Firelands Electric Cooperative, Inc.'s Lunch with a Lineman safety program checks all the boxes for engaging young members: big equipment, hands-on experiences, a behind-the-scenes tour of the co-op and pizza. https://bit.ly/3zNFmgZ

Ohio Co-op’s ‘Lunch With a Lineman’ Serves Safety Lessons to Young Members Ohio’s Firelands Electric Cooperative sponsors Lunch with a Lineman to engage young members and teach lessons on safety.

Check out the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / ArkansasOnline.com, where they outline the need for energy policies that balance affordability and reliability with innovation.

Read the full op-ed to learn how they're balancing these needs:

OPINION | VERNON "BUDDY" HASTEN: Balance of power | Arkansas Democrat Gazette The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas launched a Balance of Power consumer education campaign in 2021 in the wake of rolling blackouts that occurred during Winter Storm Uri. The campaign's intention was to educate Arkansans about an alarming trend that was (and is) occurring in the United States.

The rush to add artificial intelligence into software, systems, websites and applications is creating new data risks that merit updated policies and broader education and training at electric cooperatives. Read more ⬇️

‘Put on a Seatbelt’: AI Is Accelerating System and Data Risks for Co-ops Co-op Cyber Tech attendees learn that NRECA voting members can access a sample AI policy as they consider ways to stay cyber-secure.

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative CEO Brad Kimbro testified in front of the Senate on streamline disaster relief programs, saying that "without [these programs] higher electric bills would have placed financial strain on the communities we serve, with our most vulnerable members feeling it the most.”

Read more ➡️

Alabama Co-op Leader to Congress: Streamline Disaster Relief Programs Federal aid is crucial to electric co-ops making disaster repairs, but programs need to be streamlined, an Alabama co-op leader told a Senate panel.

East Kentucky Power Cooperative generates more than half of its electricity from power plants that would be affected by the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant rule. If the rule goes into effect, the communities that rely on EKPC are likely to find themselves with less reliable power or without the means to pay for it, or both. Read more on how the rule will harm cooperative members: https://bit.ly/4eR6DiV

🚨 HURRICANE BERYL UPDATE 🚨

Electric cooperatives in Texas are making great progress in restoring power after more than 213,000 co-op consumer-members lost electricity when Hurricane Beryl slammed into the southeast Texas coast on Monday.

Crews from unaffected parts of Texas and other states are helping co-ops that were battered by Beryl. Both transmission and distribution lines were damaged. Nine Texas co-ops were affected by the hurricane.

Read more ➡️

Hurricane Beryl: Tracking the Co-op Response Hurricane Beryl slammed into the Texas coast on Monday, causing power outages affecting over 213,000 electric co-op members.

A cyberattack has shut down your power provider’s wind, solar and natural gas operations during a bitter cold snap. Go! That was the scenario facing attendees at Co-op Cyber Tech’s escape room. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3zyCZyt

We're proud of our GVEC linemen headed to Kirbyville in the aftermath of to help Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative crews restore power to their members. Please join us in wishing them well in their endeavors and praying for their safe return home once their work is done!
Neighbors helping neighbors - it's the .

OzarksGo, the telecommunications subsidiary of Ozarks Electric Cooperative, has gone from zero to 40,000 broadband subscribers in seven years and is still looking ahead to deliver the fastest speed anywhere. https://bit.ly/4cQjbFc

Zero to 40,000: Arkansas Co-op Hits Broadband Milestone “When the future asks for it, we're ready.”

Heavy storms and rainfall have the potential to create flash floods. If you encounter standing water while driving, turn around and find a safer route.

As makes its way up the Texas coast, following this safety tip could save your life!

Be extra vigilant of downed power lines and other electrical equipment that may have been damaged. Never go near any electrical equipment in wet areas or standing water–– always assume downed lines are energized.

FINAL OUTAGE UPDATE (7/12/24 @ 8:03 a.m.): All WCEC storm crews are out this morning working to restore the remaining 77 meters without power. If you're still without power are encouraged to call our office for details on your location. Most storm crews will continue working throughout the weekend to complete isolated damage areas and final repairs after everyone is restored.

Additional service interruptions may occur in the coming days as some repairs need to be made or if trees impacted by the storm continue to fall or drop limbs. Report these outages to our office or after-hours dispatch.

We cannot thank our members and community for the understanding and support that we have been shown throughout these restoration efforts!

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/11/24 @ 4:55 p.m.): Current # of Outages: 134. All WCEC storm crews will continue to work until dark tonight and pick back up in the early morning hours tomorrow. We were able to restore most of El Dorado. If you are still without power there, please report this to our after-hours dispatch.

OUTAGE UPDATE: (7/11/24 @ 7:44 a.m.): WCEC storm crews are loaded up with materials and headed out for another day of restoration. All major circuits are back up and we can now focus on the smaller feeders. Here are a few specific updates for today:

⚡️Some areas will take more time to restore including the El Dorado and Spread Oaks areas in the southern portion of our service territory. Restoring these areas may take up to 48-96 hours. Restoration times have been extended to 24-48 hours for individual outages.

⚡️As larger areas come up, our metering system may not automatically detect your individual outage after restoration. If you are still without power and are unsure if your location is on our outage map, call the office today at 979-543-6271. Please be patient, as our phone system can get overwhelmed quickly.

WCEC has over 30 trucks and over 70 linemen out in the field and they are working non-stop from sunup to sundown. Please be kind and continue to pray for their safety.

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/10/24 @ 10:04 p.m.): Current # of Outages: 513. All crews are in for the night. They will be back out early in the morning to continue restoration efforts.

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/10/24 @ 4:43 p.m.): Current # of Outages: 879. All WCEC storm crews will continue to work until dark tonight and pick back up in the early morning hours tomorrow. Our after-hours dispatch will be fielding calls for the remainder of the evening.

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/10/24 @ 1 p.m.): Current # of Outages: 1,152. Some crews continue to work to restore one large outage out of the Round Mott substation (north and west of El Campo) and the rest are spreading out across the service territory to work on the smaller outage areas. The estimated restoration for our entire system is 24-48 hours at this time.

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/10/24 @ 7:01 a.m.): WCEC storm crews are heading out this morning to continue restoration efforts to just over 1,500 members. As of late yesterday, all transmission lines into the WCEC service territory have been repaired. Several crews will be working on the largest outage areas including the Round Mott substation (north and west of El Campo), and two circuits in the Danevang area. Other crews will be focused on systematically working through smaller outage areas. The estimated restoration for our entire system is 24-48 hours at this time.

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/9/24 @ 7:08 a.m.): WCEC crews along with crews from Victoria Electric Cooperative and contract crews are headed out to continue the restoration. We have just under 3,000 meters to restore. At this time, we are still unable to predict restoration times. Please know that we will be working as quickly as it is safe to do so to get everyone restored.

Our office will be open today from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Again, we ask that if you know your outage has been reported, please keep the phone lines clear for emergency calls such as downed lines or poles. If you see crews out working today, avoid those areas to give them room to work safely.

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/8/24 @ 5:52 p.m.): Our WCEC line crews continue to work alongside contract crews to restore power to 3,800 members. They will continue to work until dark tonight and pick back up in the early morning hours tomorrow. Our after-hours dispatch will be fielding calls for the remainder of the evening.

Continue to remain a safe distance away from any downed power lines and practice safety with your generators. We know that it has been a long, hot day, but there is much damage left to repair on our system. Thank you all for your patience, kind thoughts, and prayers for our crews!

🌀 Report new outages or downed lines to our office at 979-543-6271.

🌀 Our office will be closed to the public as we focus on restoration efforts.

🌀 Stay away from any downed or sagging power lines! Always assume they are live and deadly!

🌀 Practice all safety measures with generators! Do not use in an enclosed space and never plug it in to your home’s electrical system.

🌀 Watch for updates here or on our Outage Center at MyWCEC.coop.

OUTAGE ALERT (7/8/24 @ 1:54 p.m.): WCEC Crews continue to work to restore power to close to 3,900 meters. While some areas are coming back up more quickly than others, please know that all WCEC line crews as well as several contract crews are working non-stop to get everyone restored. Thank you all for your patience!

OUTAGE UPDATE (7/9/24 @ 4:51 p.m.): WCEC line crews continue to work alongside contract crews to restore power to 2,700 members. They will continue to work until dark tonight and pick back up in the early morning hours tomorrow. Our after-hours dispatch will be fielding calls for the remainder of the evening.

Continue to remain a safe distance away from any downed power lines and practice safety with your generators. We know that it has been a long, hot day, but there is much damage left to repair on our system. Thank you all for your patience, kind thoughts, and prayers for our crews!

OUTAGE ALERT (7/8/24 @ 11:21 a.m.): The number of outages in the WCEC service territory has grown to over 6,000 meters. At this time, all crews are in the field to continue to assess the damage. We also have crews from STEC responding to restore transmission outages. We will continue to post updates throughout the day as we learn more about possible restoration times. Thank you all for your patience!

OUTAGE ALERT (7/8/24 @ 8:27 a.m.): WCEC currently has over 4,500 members without power. Crews are beginning to assess the damage that our system has sustained. Restoration cannot begin until we are aware of the extent of the damage. At this time, we cannot estimate when power will be restored. Our office will remain closed to the public to allow our team to focus on restoration efforts. Once your outage has been reported, please keep our phone lines clear for emergencies only.

Once we have an idea of restoration efforts, we will post updates here and on our website at MyWCEC.coop.

OUTAGE ALERT (7/8/24 @ 5:30 a.m.): Outages are being reported across our service territory as Beryl makes its way inland. WCEC will dispatch crews as soon as it is safe to do so.

HURRICANE BERYL OUTAGE UPDATE
6:30AM MONDAY, JULY 8TH, 2024

CURRENTLY 9,942 METERS OUT

Outages are being reported across our service territory as Beryl makes its way inland. JEC will dispatch crews as soon as it is safe to do so. For the time being, please keep the following in mind:
🌀 Report new outages through our after hours dispatch center, if you have already reported your outage there is no need to do so again.
🌀 Stay away from any downed or sagging power lines! Always assume they are live and deadly!
🌀 Practice all safety measures with generators! Do not use one in an enclosed space and never plug one in to your home’s electrical system.
🌀 Watch for updates on our Storm Center at https://www.jecec.com/storm-center as we begin restoration efforts after the storm.

The first step in the restoration process is conducting a comprehensive damage assessment. The damage assessment process allows us to strategically target power restoration efforts. These assessments must be completed before we can generate an estimated restoration time for our members. Once preliminary damage assessments are completed and it is safe to dispatch work crews, we will work around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible.

The outage restoration process begins at the point where electricity feeds into our system. This could be at a substation, transmission line, or a main distribution line. After these repairs have been made, crews will begin working on individual homes and tap lines, beginning with areas serving the greatest number of members and continuing until electricity is restored to all members. Once it is deemed safe for our crews to begin the restoration process, we kindly ask that you avoid approaching crews working in your area. This will keep you and our crews safe and allow them to work on restoring your power.

To learn more about power outages visit our website:
https://www.jecec.com/power-outage-faq

When a hurricane causes widespread damage, our line crews work long, hard hours to restore service safely in the shortest time possible. A single pole can take up to 18 hours to replace. Steps 1 – 5 explain what’s happening if you find yourself in the dark.

As Beryl makes its way inward, keep these tips in mind from the July issue of Texas Co-op Power magazine. Stay safe! Report outages via TextPower by texting OUT to 800.223.4832. Monitor outages 24/7 at outages.gvec.org. Our employees are standing by should we be needed!

🌀Stay Alert! Stay Safe!🌀

A reminder tor our members: As Beryl moves into the WCEC service territory, our crews will work to restore power as long as it is safe to be in the field. During the height of storm activity, restoration will not be safe for our crews. After the storm, WCEC will first need to assess our system for damage and then work to restore power. Depending on the severity of any damage, restoration could take extended periods. Please be prepared to be without power for these extended periods.

With widespread outages, WCEC is expecting higher call volume during and after the storm. We ask that once your outage is reported, please keep our phone lines clear for emergencies such as downed power lines. We will be posting updates here on Facebook and at MyWCEC.coop.

As we all make our final preparations, we pray for the safety of everyone in the path of this storm.

The red Solo Cup has long been an icon of good times. But at SEMO Electric Cooperative, it's a symbol for a job well done, with employees recently toasting a year of zero lost-time accidents with sparkling apple cider for all.

At Missouri Electric Co-op, Red Solo Cup Is a Symbol of Safety At Missouri’s SEMO Electric Cooperative, employees celebrate safety milestones with non-alcoholic red Solo Cup toasts.

The EPA’s power plant rule jeopardizes the ability of rural electric cooperatives to keep the lights on at a cost consumers can afford. Because cooperatives must make business decisions now to comply with the rule, it will have immediate and irreparable consequences.

Read our statement of harm here: https://bit.ly/3VN2hAC

Find more statements of harm here: https://bit.ly/3RR0wBc