Rural electric cooperatives were initially created because large investor owned power companies refused to serve the areas of rural America that were sparsely populated, thus deemed not profitable.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), now Rural Utilities Service (RUS), in 1935 to loan money to groups of people willing to build electric lines into rural America.
Over 70 years ago, people just like you worked together to form the beginnings of Pea River Electric Cooperative. From that original date of organization in August of 1938 to the day the first lines were energized in June of 1939, Pea River Electric has continued to grow and serve the needs of the people living in this area. Our membership fee has remained at $5.00 since that first day. Presently, we serve over 18,000 active accounts along close to 3,000 miles of electric distribution lines in three counties in southeast Alabama. Those counties are: Barbour, Dale and Henry.
Pea River Electric purchases wholesale power from PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, located in Andalusia, AL, and takes delivery of this electricity at 14 substations strategically placed around our growing system.
Loyal, experienced employees are the key to Pea River Electric's reliable service. Our employees work in all types of weather, day or night, seven days a week, 365 days a year to make certain that our members have electricity at the flip of a switch.
Throughout the years, the board of trustees, management and employees of the cooperative have continually worked to provide you with the most reliable electric service at the most economical cost.
We realize that our success is not measured in the number of kilowatts sold, or in the number of miles of line strung, but in our members' satisfaction with the cooperative and the service it provides.
As we look to the future, Pea River Electric's number one priority remains to provide this area with the reliable, quality electric service it needs to continue to grow and prosper.
Touchstone Energy
In 1998, Pea River Electric joined with other cooperatives across the United States to become part of the Touchstone Energy movement. Touchstone Energy®(link is external) is a national alliance of electric cooperatives who have agreed to provide a high quality of service to their membership, both large and small - commercial and residential.
There are over 650 Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives in 46 states and we make up the largest electric utility network in the United States serving over 15 million member-owners. We can easily share technologies, programs, training and resources while maintaining our own local identity.
As a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, Pea River Electric has pledged to uphold the values behind the brand: integrity, accountability, innovation and community involvement. These are the same principals the cooperative was founded on over 70 years ago and are still applicable today.
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