TEC Announces Alliance With Rio Grande Electric Cooperative

Alliance with RGEC Co-op Further Extends TEC Products and Services

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Jul 26, 2018, 05:00 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC) leadership has announced a sole source alliance with Rio Grande Electric Cooperative (RGEC), which serves a massive area in the Texas-Mexico border region from the mid-border to West Texas and into New Mexico. The agreement brings 13,492 meters and 35,000 square miles in 20 counties, including two in New Mexico, a total size almost as large as the state of Indiana, into the area served by TEC partnerships.

"Entering into a sole source alliance is a tremendous opportunity for both TEC and RGEC," said Johnny Andrews, chief operating officer of TEC Manufacturing & Distribution Services. "It expands TEC's footprint into an area that is strategically important to us."

RGEC's commitment to members goes beyond making electric power available. For members who live in remote locations and sometimes extreme environments within its service area, access to basic utilities is exceedingly challenging. The co-op works diligently to ensure that all members have the tools and knowledge necessary to get the most from their electricity provider. This includes providing resources to help members make informed choices about solar and wind generation options, as well as being smart about energy usage by offering an online energy audit tool. RGEC also proudly maintains the electrical distribution systems for the U.S. Army's Fort Bliss in El Paso as well as Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio.

"Rio Grande Electric Co-op has always welcomed the challenges of delivering power to our members in some of the most remote and sparsely populated areas with the roughest of terrain," said CEO Roger Andrade. "Our sole source alliance with TEC is an opportunity to further strengthen our service to those who depend on us."

Establishing alliances with co-ops around the state has become a major priority for TEC. By utilizing TEC's aggregated buying power co-ops benefit by purchasing from a single point of contact, which streamlines their procurement process and saves them time and money. "Partnerships benefit individual cooperatives and they benefit Texas cooperatives as a whole," Andrews explained. "Every new alliance further strengthens the bargaining power of cooperatives who are already partners. That's why TEC works so hard to expand our network of alliances."

About Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.: Serving our members since 1941, Texas Electric Cooperatives represents the interests of 75 electric cooperatives with more than three million members throughout the state. TEC serves its members by providing products and services that help sustain cooperative businesses in the 21st century, and offers a full line of utility supplies and services through its Manufacturing & Distribution Services facility headquartered in Georgetown. For more information, visit: http://www.texas-ec.org/about.

About Rio Grande Electric Cooperative: Organized in 1945, RGEC delivers power to residents of the Western Texas-Mexico border region and beyond. Today, it serves the counties of Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Edwards, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Maverick, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb and Zavala in Texas, and Eddy and Otero Counties in New Mexico, covering a total of about 35,000 square miles. It delivers power to 13,492 meters over 9,909 miles of energized line. For more information, visit: www.riogrande.coop.