A Message From General Manager

Reliable electricity is at risk if Ohio experiences extreme cold this winter

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A message from Tom Wolfenbarger, general manager

How we're helping members prepare

The reliability of the national electric grid is under pressure. Existing, reliable generation sources are being shut down prematurely and replaced with generation that’s intermittent in nature. The result is during extreme weather, the supply margins are tight, and any event can put the reliability of the grid at risk.

During Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, 9 states to the south of us saw mandated rolling outages implemented to protect the integrity of the grid. We were lucky in Ohio and avoided such steps. I’m happy to report the cooperatives in Ohio have more generation than we have load. But we are all connected to the grid, which is operated as a market, and we could be impacted by regional generation shortages unrelated to our own generation portfolio.

What this means for the cooperative
The premature closing of reliable fossil-fuel power plants has narrowed the gap between the supply of available electricity and the ever-growing demand for power. When a winter storm drives even higher demand – and threatens supply at the same time – those charged with maintaining balance on the grid may require local utilities to reduce electricity use.

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative and Buckeye Power, our electric generation cooperative, will closely watch conditions and stay in constant contact with PJM, the regional authority that manages our portion of the electric grid. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative and Buckeye Power have a mandatory obligation to follow the reliability directives of PJM. If needed, rolling outages will impact all electric utility consumers, not only co-op members.

Keeping members informed
We’re doing everything we can to keep the lights on and want to help if conditions dictate otherwise. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative has developed a communication plan to keep members updated when rolling outages occur. We will clearly and quickly communicate with members using all available communication channels to keep them updated.

Standby generators and portable generator switches
In November, we’re introducing a generator program for members to purchase KOHLER standby generators through the cooperative. Similar to our geothermal program, the board of trustees has budgeted to offer low-interest loans to help members finance such a major investment.

For those like me, who don’t have a need for a whole-home generator, or for those who don’t want to make that level of investment, we also offer the ability to purchase a behind-the-meter transfer switch called a Trifecta from Global Power Products. A Trifecta is a meter base mounted transfer switch with a cord to use with a portable generator to power parts of the home, like your sump pump and refrigerator. The cooperative will provide free installation for these switches.

Please check out our Generator Program here. This new program does not indicate Ohio’s electric cooperatives have insufficient power generation or reliability issues. The program gives members the opportunity to prepare for outages the co-op has little control over.

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative can’t control the weather, but we’ll continue doing everything we can to provide members with reliable electric service, no matter what Mother Nature sends our way.