Ohio's Electric Cooperatives

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 cooperatives established Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. - a statewide services organization to foster collaboration and to advocate on their behalf. And in 1959, they joined together to form Buckeye Power, Inc. - a wholesale power generation and transmission cooperative to supply 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. Together, we are Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives.