Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc. provides electric energy to more than 10,000 homes and businesses in Washington, Noble, Monroe, Morgan, Guernsey, and Athens counties in southeastern Ohio.
Washington Electric was established in 1940 to bring electric power to rural Ohio through a federal program: the Rural Electrification Administration, now called the Rural Utilities Service.
Today, Washington Electric is part of a nationwide network of electric Cooperatives, with 24 Cooperatives in Ohio and nearly 1,000 in the United States. WEC participates in a statewide association, Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc., located in Columbus Ohio and a national association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., in Arlington Va.
The 24 Ohio Electric Cooperatives, including Washington Electric, jointly own two coal-fired generating plants near Brilliant Ohio along the Ohio River. This generating facility is called the Cardinal Generating Station and is operated by Buckeye Power, Inc., the generating and transmission Cooperative owned by all Ohio Electric Cooperatives. All of the electricity used by Cooperative customers in Ohio comes from Buckeye Power, Inc. The Ohio Electric Cooperatives also jointly own a natural gas peaking plant located in Convoy, Ohio.
Because Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc., is a not for profit Cooperative, our customers are more than just customers, they are member owners. As members they have the right to elect representatives to the Cooperative's Board of Trustees. As owners, members share in annual profits or margins. The margins, referred to as patronage capital, are allocated annually to member patronage accounts. Return of margins to members is just one of the advantages of being a member owner of Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc.
