Wiregrass Electric Cooperative
| Company type | Nonprofit cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utility |
| Founded | October 1939 |
| Headquarters | Hartford , United States |
Area served | Rural areas in Houston, Geneva, Dale, Coffee, and Covington counties, Alabama |
Key people | Les Moreland (CEO since 2014) |
| Products | Electricity distribution |
| Website | www |
Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is a nonprofit electric utility cooperative serving rural areas, with its main office located in Hartford, Alabama. It holds membership in both the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives (AREA) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
History
Established in October 1939 and commencing electricity distribution in 1940, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative was created to provide service to rural customers in the Wiregrass Region who were largely neglected by major power providers. Its infrastructure encompasses approximately 3,200 miles of power lines, delivering electricity to over 27,000 member-consumers including residential and commercial accounts.
Key figures in the cooperative’s leadership history include: • Howard Haygood, inaugural manager until 1958 • B.L. Woodham, general manager from 1953 to 1968 • Bruce Dyess, general manager between 1969 and 1985 • Jerry Mosley, general manager from 1985 through 2005 • Michael McWaters, CEO from 2005 until 2013 • Les Moreland, CEO since 2014
Organization
Wiregrass Electric Cooperative functions under a member-owned framework where all individuals receiving electric service are also cooperative members. Each year, members convene to receive operational updates and elect nine trustees who represent distinct districts within the cooperative’s service territory.
The board of trustees is responsible for policy establishment and appointing the CEO, who oversees daily management and personnel. The cooperative’s coverage area primarily includes rural portions of Houston and Geneva counties as well as sections of Dale, Coffee, and Covington counties.
The headquarters is situated on Highway 167 in Hartford, with additional customer service offices located in Ashford, Dothan, and Samson. These centers provide services such as billing assistance, service applications, and account administration.
To control expenses—chiefly those related to wholesale power purchases—Wiregrass Electric Cooperative participates in a power supply pooling program through PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. PowerSouth is jointly owned by Wiregrass Electric and twenty-one other member cooperatives across Alabama and the Florida panhandle. It delivers electricity via the transmission network operated by Alabama Power Company with the goal of lowering wholesale power costs and stabilizing consumer rates.
Power companies in Alabama
Alabama is home to twenty-two rural electric cooperatives that operate independently, each maintaining their own policies, rate structures, and service offerings. Among these are nineteen distribution cooperatives plus one generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative, all collaborating under the umbrella of the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives (AREA), which is supported through member dues.
AREA’s governance includes a board made up of each member cooperative’s manager along with one trustee. This board appoints a CEO responsible for managing staff and overseeing organizational functions. AREA represents its members before state regulatory bodies and legislators on cooperative-related matters. Additionally, it publishes Alabama Living magazine targeting rural consumers and operates a printing business serving member needs.
Collectively, Alabama’s rural electric cooperatives serve more than one million customers who consume an average of approximately 1,200 kilowatt-hours per month. The system density averages about 6.5 customers per mile of distribution line. Wiregrass Electric Cooperative itself manages over 3,074 miles of line while providing service to upwards of 27,000 members across five counties: Houston, Geneva, Dale, Coffee, and Covington.