We Are America’s Electric Cooperatives

From booming suburbs to rural farming communities, America’s electric cooperatives are energy providers and engines of economic growth
for 42 million Americans.

Learn More: Electric Co-op Facts & Figures

Smart Energy Policy Keeps the Lights On

American families and businesses expect the lights to stay on at a cost they can afford. But that’s no longer a guarantee. Over the next five years, 19 states from Montana to Louisiana are at high risk of rolling blackouts during normal peak conditions.

  • U.S. power demand will reach record highs in 2024 and 2025, increasing by 2.5% and 3.2% respectively.
  • Peak electricity demand is projected to grow by 38 gigawatts over the next five years – the equivalent of adding another California to the grid.

The stakes are too high to get this wrong. As electricity demand grows and supply fails to keep up, bad public policy is making the problem worse. That’s why America’s electric co-ops are fighting for smarter energy policies that prioritize reliability and affordability for all.

Podcast: ‘Immediate, Irreparable Harm’—The Impacts of EPA’s Power Plant Rule
Co-ops Warn of Surging Costs, Reliability Crunch in Bid to Halt EPA Rule
‘Unlawful, Unrealistic, Unachievable’: EPA’s ‘Barrage’ of Power Plant Rules
Matheson: Reliable, Affordable Electricity Hinges on Rational Public Policy
Matheson: Snake River Dams Are Vital to Power Supply in Northwest
Co-op CEO: ‘Jobs and Industry Will Flee’ if Reliability Issues Aren’t Fixed

Learn More About Co-ops and Reliability.

Spotlight Feature: Prioritizing Reliability

Hear NRECA CEO Jim Matheson’s remarks on grid reliablility at an October 2023 POLITICO event.

Learn More About Co-ops and Reliability

Leaders
in Rural Broadband

Millions of rural American families and businesses are stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide. And where no one else will provide the service, electric co-ops have found a way. Motivated by people, not profits, and the needs of their communities, electric co-ops are making rural broadband a reality.

Alabama Co-op Middle-Mile Network Celebrates First Customer
Electric Co-op Offers Free Wi-Fi to First Responders
Zero to 40,000: Arkansas Co-op Hits Broadband Milestone
End of Affordable Connectivity Program Will Hurt Broadband Deployment
Co-ops Band Together to Build Statewide and Regional Middle Mile Networks
Leapfrogging the Competition: Mississippi Co-0p Delivers XGS-PON Broadband
Virginia Co-op Makes 20K Broadband Connections in 52 Months

Spotlight Feature: Community Impact

JCE Co-op's reliable, affordable high-speed internet access has been a boon for its Illinois territory, improving residents' quality of life and ushering in a wave of new homeowners and businesses.

Learn More About Co-ops and Broadband

 

Spotlight Feature: Co-op Crews Help Power Navajo Nation

Volunteers from 16 electric co-ops in five states traveled to Navajo Nation this summer to help bring electricity to at least 200 homes as part of an initiative to improve the lives of Americans in remote tribal areas.

Learn More About Co-ops and Their Communities

Building the Grid of the Future

Co-op Facts: Rise in Renewables

Since 2016, co-ops have nearly doubled their renewable capacity from 8.2 gigawatts to nearly 15.8 gigawatts.

Learn More About Co-ops and Sustainable Energy