August 13, 2025

AT CHEC

A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER

Do you ever have Déjà vu? We definitely have felt like it this year. Since March, we have dodged tornados, trees, and other debris over and over (and over) again, and continued to hope for the rain to let up. Over the past 5 months, our employees have worked over 4,000 hours of overtime related to power and internet restoration. Our crews battled these storms tirelessly by clearing massive trees from our lines, while occasionally dodging flooded or obstructed roadways to find an alternate route to access damaged infrastructure. The storms wreaked havoc across our service territory, often striking the same areas more than once.

We know how frustrating it can be when you lose electricity and internet – especially more than once in a short period of time. Here at Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative and Cookson Hills Connect, we strive to provide our members with safe, reliable, and affordable electric and internet services.

This year marks 80 years since CHEC was incorporated. That is 80 years of service that began with farms and homes without electricity, to now over 3,000 miles of power lines and 2,600 miles of fiber lines. Sustainability of our services doesn’t just happen - it requires a lot of planning, coordination, and a significant amount of resources to keep the lights on and the internet connected. These efforts don’t begin and end with CHEC alone. We partner with AECI and KAMO Power, who are part of our three-tiered power system, to implement and plan these lengthy projects in a timely manner.

The increasing demand for electricity has placed a greater need for new power plants. While many power suppliers have taken a more expensive and less reliable approach to address these concerns, AECI took a commonsense approach and are building gas power plants that are slated to be commissioned in 2026 and 2027. KAMO Power has also contributed to these efforts by constructing new transmission lines and substations, again improving overall reliability.

Even with all the coordination among our three-tiered system to improve reliability and secure resources, some issues that take place are outside of our control. Just like the multiple weeks of storms that resulted in significant damage, there is sometimes little we can do, outside of prayer. Every four years, CHEC coordinates a new construction work plan, prioritizing projects that will help improve reliability. We consider the best options that are the least expensive but add greater benefits to you, our members.

Safety is our top priority; reliability is next. We will continue to work hard to provide you with the safest, most reliable and affordable energy and internet possible.

General Manager/CEO
JULI ORME

Energy. Internet. Community. “It’s who we are.”

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