A History of Empowering Texans

By Jim East, Brazos Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Brazos Electric has been serving member-owned co-ops for over 80 years.

Staying true to a tradition that traces its origins to 1941, Brazos Electric Cooperative has worked hand in hand with our 16 member-owner co-ops, interconnected power generators, interconnected transmission providers, and interconnected city utilities to deliver electric power and the benefits of modern technology to mostly rural homes and businesses.

Today, the 16 member-owners of Brazos Electric deliver power to more than 1.8 million Texans. The employees of Brazos Electric work on behalf of those member-owners to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transmission and distribution of electricity.

“Brazos Electric continually supports the increasing power demand and reliability needs in the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) region,” said Brazos Electric General Manager Mark Fagan. He also noted that Brazos Electric supports the needs of two members in the Texas portion of the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) region.

In the region served by Brazos Electric, official state projections forecast sustained growth of the population and the economy. This region includes most of the Texas Triangle, which runs from the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area to San Antonio to Houston, and where 73% of the state’s population lives.

Electric cooperatives throughout the country play a vital role in helping communities big and small attract new businesses, create good jobs, and contribute to a growing base of support for local chambers of commerce and the valuable work they do.

What is an Electric Cooperative?

Electricity is an essential part of everyday life, yet many people may not know how many different organizations work together to keep their lights on, their refrigerators cold, and their phone batteries charged.

The three most common electric transmission and delivery service providers are cooperatives, municipal utilities and investor-owned utilities (IOUs). Municipal utilities generally operate as part of the local government and provide services such as electricity or water. IOUs are private entities serving as public utilities.

Electric co-ops are not-for-profit businesses which are founded and democratically governed by the members they serve. Brazos Electric serves 16 distribution electric cooperatives throughout Texas. Each of those 16 member-owners selects one person to represent them on the Brazos Electric Board of Directors.

The blueprint for electric co-ops was codified as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s. Because IOUs generally did not build the infrastructure to bring electricity to rural parts of the country, FDR empowered citizens in rural America to create, build and manage their own locally operated power providers.

Today, there are more than 900 electric cooperatives in 47 states.

The Future of Brazos Electric

Brazos Electric is responsible for providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective transmission and

distribution service to its member-owners and customers and to support the bulk power system. Brazos Electric owns, operates, and maintains more than 2,700 miles of high-voltage transmission line (stretching across 63 Texas counties) and more than 500 substation facilities.

Working in the electricity industry comes with obvious hazards, so the most important core value at Brazos Electric is safety. Brazos Electric takes a proactive approach to put safety first on behalf of its workforce, member-owners, and the general public.

To pursue the core values of safe, reliable and cost-effective transmission and distribution service, Brazos Electric engages with its member-owner co-ops to gain an accurate perspective on how the goals and needs of each cooperative are changing. Those changes are often spurred by population growth and economic development, both of which may result in an increase in demand for electricity and need for additional infrastructure.

Brazos Electric closely monitors those increases in demand each year and tailors options to accommodate the needs of each memberowner co-op. Those options may include enhancing existing infrastructure or the construction of new infrastructure, such as transmission lines or substations.

Because Brazos Electric is a not-forprofit organization, it can invest its resources back into its facilities to build new transmission capacity to keep pace with growing demand and ensure each member-owner is getting reliable transmission and distribution services.

How fast is that demand growing? From 2020 to 2030, the Texas State Demographer projects the population of all Brazos Electric member counties is expected to increase to 12.16 million people, a surge of nearly 16% over that 10-year span.

All this growth translates to a need for Brazos Electric to grow as well, and it is hiring to fill a wide range of jobs, including engineers, lineworkers, accountants and more.

“One of Brazos Electric’s strategic imperatives is to create an engaged workforce,” said Fagan. “We define engaged employees as those who are committed, enthusiastic, and motivated to go above and beyond their job description in service to our member-owners.”

People looking for a rewarding and challenging career are encouraged to visit the website at www. brazoselectric.com for additional employment information.

• Founded in 1941

• 280 employees

• 2,700 miles of transmission line spanning 63 counties

• Owned by 16 Texas electric distribution cooperatives

• 1.8 million Texans served by those 16 member-owner co-ops

• Interconnected with 8 city utilities

• Interconnected with 21 power generator sites

• $6.6 million in property taxes paid in 2024