Our cooperative’s story for the past 7 years has been of growth. In my 24 years with Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative (CVEC), I’ve never seen this level of activity.
We are seeing it across our entire system. New and larger subdivisions are being planned and are under construction. New, independent home starts are also on the rise. And we are seeing growth in commercial and industrial consumers.
The Lincoln area is enjoying a substantial portion of this activity. Aside from the development of some of the largest subdivisions we’ve seen on our system, one big, recent announcement is the coming of Rural King. This large retailer carries everything from horse feed to handguns, and construction on it is about to get started just south of 1-20. We feel confident that Rural King will be the anchor that will help attract even more business to our area.
Growth is good, especially for an electric cooperative. Growth gives us more consumers to help with the inevitable increases in costs. Without growth, our existing consumers must absorb those increases.
But growth doesn’t come without challenges. While there is the obvious cost to extend lines to serve new consumers, there is the hidden cost of ensuring our distribution system can handle increased loads.
The biggest factors that can impact loads are conductor size, as well as distance from and capacity of substations. Over the next six years, we will be building 2 new, large, state-of-the-art substations to help us handle the loads we know are coming.
One will be just south of Handy Corner on Stemley Road, and the other will be in the Vandiver community. These stations will replace 2 older ones that have been in service for more than 40 years and have reached their end of life.
The new stations will be built with future expansion in mind. They will take advantage of the latest technology to ensure efficient operation and will be easily upgradeable to adapt to increasing demands.
In other areas of business, we are nearing the end of substantial construction on our off-system fiber optic network. Extending beyond the boundaries of our electric system into Jacksonville, Piedmont, Oxford, Harpersville, and Pell City, this network is allowing Coosa Valley Technologies to deliver the fastest broadband internet to communities that otherwise might not get it.
In those communities with existing internet service providers, we are bringing a far superior service to customers who have paid too much for too little for too long. Plain and simple, we have built a utility-grade, fiber optic network that is the fastest, most reliable available anywhere. Other internet providers who have focused on profits over reliability cannot say the same.
Our propane subsidiary, Coosa Valley Propane, continues to deliver friendly, reliable propane service at affordable prices. If you aren’t using us for your propane needs, I urge you to give us a try.
Every year, we add chapters to our story of growth, and the ending is nowhere in sight. On behalf of myself, the employees, and your board of trustees, we thank you for the opportunity to provide you with quality, reliable, affordable, and life-changing services.