From booming suburbs to remote rural communities, America’s electric cooperatives are energy providers and engines of economic development. Electric cooperatives keep the lights on and play a vital role in transforming communities.
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- Co-ops serve 42 million people, including 92% of persistent poverty counties.
- Co-ops power over 22 million businesses, homes, schools and farms in 48 states.
- Co-ops return more than $1 billion to their consumer-members annually as not-for-profit organizations.
- 830 distribution cooperatives are the foundation of the electric cooperative network. They were built by and serve co-op members in the community by delivering electricity and other services.
- 64 generation & transmission cooperatives provide wholesale power to distribution co-ops through their own electric generation facilities or by purchasing power on behalf of the distribution members.
Demand is outpacing supply
Demand is skyrocketing. Across the country, electricity demand is surging, driven by growing communities, electrification of the economy, power-hungry data centers and new manufacturing plants.
According to the North American Electric Reliability Corp. 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, electric demand growth is the highest it has been in over two decades. And over the next 10 years, peak power needs are expected to rise by 17%. Newly announced projects, especially data centers, will drive that number even higher.
Supply isn’t keeping up. Government policies aimed at shutting down fossil-fuel-based generation, more extreme weather and years-long delays in permitting and siting for new transmission lines are turning this power boon into a capacity crisis.
More than 115,000 megawatts of baseload coal, natural gas and nuclear generation—enough to power about 100 million homes— is forecast to retire over the next decade.
As a result, much of the country faces an increasing risk of energy shortfalls over the next 10 years.
Building to meet demand
Co-ops make decisions on how best to meet demand based on the needs of their local communities. For example:
- Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. and Oglethorpe Power in Georgia are both investing in new natural gas projects to meet growing demand.
- In Texas, San Miguel Electric Cooperative is developing first-of-its-kind geothermal energy storage.
- In Wisconsin, Dairyland Power Cooperative’s 102-mile Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line is helping reduce grid congestion and improve system reliability and flexibility.
- And next door in Michigan, Wolverine Power Cooperative and Hoosier Energy are part of a team that’s working to do something that’s never been done before—recommission a nuclear power plant.
Always-available energy is key to keeping the lights on
Electric co-ops rely on a diverse suite of resources to reliably meet the energy needs of their local communities.
As of June 2025, electric co-ops have announced plans to add nearly 15 gigawatts of new generation capacity, including over 8.5 GW of natural gas generation. These projects will come online between 2025 and 2030, and additional announcements are expected.
The co-op fuel mix is anchored by always-available energy (85%) from coal, natural gas, nuclear and hydroelectric power, supplemented by non-hydro renewables (14%), primarily intermittent wind and solar. Co-ops nationwide are also investing in battery storage technologies that can help address intermittency and improve reliability.
Co-ops thoughtfully explore all options, fuels and technologies as they work to meet their consumers’ evolving energy needs.
Co-ops are reducing emissions
Cooperatives are meeting member expectations by reducing emissions and switching to natural gas and renewables.
Co-ops reduced sulphur dioxide emissions 86% from 2005 to 2023.
Co-ops reduced nitrogen oxide emissions 73% from 2005 to 2023.
Co-ops reduced carbon dioxide emissions 23% from 2005 to 2023.
Delivering reliable power at a cost families and businesses can afford
1 in 4 households served by electric co-ops have an annual income below $35,000. In nine states, as many as 42% of co-op-served households fall below this income level.
Unlike the rest of the electric sector, electric co-ops sell most of their power—52%—to households.
Keeping rates affordable is especially important for these consumers at the end of the line.
The cooperative difference: Focused on people, not profits
Electric cooperatives are built by and belong to the communities they serve. They are led by members from the community and are uniquely suited to meet local needs.
In the 2024 J.D. Power Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, co-ops secured the top 10 spots based on individual scores and the highest average score among all electric utility providers.