Gary Jones
This past year was another successful year for REC. We made it another year without a rate increase; the last rate increase was 2018. Due to load growth and efficiency, we have been able to hold rates steady despite the rising costs of supplies.
We spend about two million dollars annually on right-of-way clearing, so we can take action to lessen outage times. Trees, tree limbs and brush make great ammunition for winds to take down power lines. Although we prepare for storms, we know our area will have lightning, high winds and an occasional tornado causing outages. One such event occurred in June, when a storm began east of Alex and moved across our system taking down 120 poles. By bringing in extra crews, the system was restored quickly - but cost one million dollars. However, we pledge to keep the lights on, whatever it takes.
As we continue to take care of the present, we must prepare for the future. There are “experts” predicting the demand for electricity will double in 25 years. We must be prepared if this prediction comes true. Our power supplier, Western Farmers Electric Co-op, is building new power plants to supply the electricity when it is needed. Our job at REC is to be prepared to deliver that power to our consumer-members when it is needed. We constantly monitor the usage of our substations to see when an upgrade or a new substation is needed. We also keep our system in the best possible condition to prepare for potential new loads.
With the future always on our mind, we stay busy educating ourselves on innovative technology such as artificial intelligence. We are studying to see how and if it can be helpful in our operations. We are also studying to determine what harmful risks may be associated with AI. The Board and employees are in a constant state of education to see what technology is coming and how it will affect us. It is part of our pledge to keep the lights on.
WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM
26% RESIDENTIAL SALES
55% SMALL COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL
19% LARGE COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL
TOTAL COST OF PROVIDING POWER $53 MILLION
71% PURCHASED POWER
22% OTHER COSTS
7% FIXED COSTS
WFEC GENERATION FUELS
11% COAL
12% NATURAL GAS
1% HYDROPOWER
18% WIND ENERGY
5% SOLAR POWER
53% PURCHASED POWER (BLEND OF RESOURCES)
12,605 Meters
623,498,258 kWh Sold
3,074 Miles of Line Served
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