Company Profile
Ohio's Electric Cooperatives
Company Overview
Buckeye Power is the generation and transmission cooperative jointly owned by the 25 electric distribution cooperatives serving Ohio.
Today’s energy market requires a balance between environmental concern and the ability to meet future demand for electricity, while ensuring that power remains reliable and affordable. We believe that technology, efficiency, and innovation are crucial to providing for the electricity needs of nearly 400,000 homes, farms, and businesses. We have successfully dealt with economic and legislative challenges by always keeping the best interests of our member systems and their consumers at the forefront. Buckeye Power’s flagship Cardinal Generating Station is a best-in-class world performer in reduction of emissions, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and particulates. The flue gas desulfurization systems, or scrubbers, remove about 98 percent of sulfur dioxide — acid rain —produced in the generation process. The addition of the scrubbers means that the Cardinal plant is now one of the cleanest of its kind in the world.
Buckeye Power is diversifying its generation mix by acquiring additional capacity from both traditional and renewable energy sources, such as green power in the form of animal waste anaerobic biodigesters, as well as solar panels.
Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives (OREC) is the statewide trade association for the 25 independently owned and operated electric cooperatives in Ohio and one in West Virginia.
The Columbus-based, not-for-profit organization fosters collaboration among member co-ops and advocates on their behalf in the halls of government. It also provides value-added services for the benefit of its member co-ops and their consumer-members, including public and member relations; legislative advocacy; safety and loss control consulting (including lineworker training); education and training; and material supply distribution. OREC also publishes the monthly Ohio Cooperative Living magazine, which reaches approximately 300,000 homes, farms,and businesses across the Buckeye State.
Together, Buckeye Power and Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives work collaboratively to form Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives.
Company History
By the 1930s, cities across the United States had been transformed into modern engines of commerce and culture thanks to electric service.
But rural Americans remained in the dark.
That changed on May 11, 1935, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification Administration, which sought to expand electric service beyond the country’s metropolitan areas.
From this action arose Ohio’s electric cooperatives, which rapidly signed up new members and built the needed infrastructure to serve farms and households across the state.
In 1941, Ohio’s electric cooperatives established a statewide services organization to foster collaboration and to advocate on their behalf. And in 1959, they joined together to supply their members with affordable power.
Today, 25 electric cooperatives serve more than 380,000 homes and businesses in 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties — guided by the seven principles upon which they were founded. All of our cooperatives are members of Touchstone Energy® — a national network of electric cooperatives across 46 states that provides resources to help member cooperatives and their employees better engage and serve their member-owners.
Together, we are Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives.
Benefits
Work with purpose at Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives.
Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives and our member cooperatives offer competitive salaries and exceptional benefits, and feature friendly, community-oriented working environments.
Our staff represent an array of professions, including engineering, communications, marketing, accounting, safety compliance, information technology, human resources, and government affairs.
And our work is driven every day by our core principles as not-for-profit, member-owned cooperatives.