Big Bend Electric Cooperative
Big Bend Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, non-profit distribution utility founded in 1939 that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to residential members within an exclusive franchise territory in the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1939
- HeadquartersRitzville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Big Bend Electric Cooperative does
Big Bend Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, non-profit electric cooperative founded in 1939 and headquartered in Ritzville, United States. The organization generates, transmits, and distributes electric energy to its residential members within an exclusive service territory, operating with a small staff of 11-50 employees. As a cooperative utility, Big Bend is owned by the customers it serves rather than external investors, with rates and service terms set under regulatory oversight.
The cooperative is positioned within a broader network of Kentucky electric cooperatives that collectively serve over 1 million people across 89 Kentucky counties. Through this coalition, Big Bend participates in coordinated consumer-protection advocacy, most notably a formal protest filed alongside East Kentucky Power Cooperative and Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman against PJM Interconnection's regional cost allocation plan. The company has also implemented dedicated data center tariffs to prevent residential members from cross-subsidizing large commercial loads as hyperscale demand grows in its territory.
Commercially, Big Bend earns revenue through regulated electricity rates charged to its member base, supplemented by tariffs targeting large industrial customers such as data center developers. No public pricing, revenue figures, or detailed financial disclosures are available, and the cooperative's primary website renders only a verification page with no substantive operational or financial content.
Big Bend Electric Cooperative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Bend Electric Cooperative
- Website
- https://bbec.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1939
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Big Bend Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, non-profit distribution utility founded in 1939 that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to residential members within an exclusive franchise territory in the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Bend Electric Cooperative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Utility Distribution
- NAICS
- Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies) (EUADABAI), Non-Wires Alternatives (NWA) & DER as Grid Capacity (Capacity Deferral) (EUADALAJ)
Keywords
Where Big Bend Electric Cooperative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ritzville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Big Bend Electric Cooperative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel
Big Bend Electric Cooperative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Bend Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric cooperative that generates, transmits, and distributes electric energy to its members across rural service territories. The organization is part of a broader network of electric cooperatives that collectively serve over 1 million people across 89 Kentucky counties, and it advocates for fair cost allocation in federal regulatory proceedings on behalf of residential members.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Electric Energy Generation, Transmission and Distribution Core electric utility service: the cooperative generates, transmits, and distributes electric energy to its residential and commercial members across rural service territories.
- Data Center Tariffs Tariff structure designed to ensure large commercial electricity users such as data center developers pay the full cost of their infrastructure rather than being subsidized by existing residential members.
Companies that use Big Bend Electric Cooperative
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Big Bend Electric Cooperative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Big Bend Electric Cooperative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PJM InterconnectionadversarialPJM Interconnection is a regional transmission organization that manages the electric grid across multiple states. East Kentucky Power Cooperative and Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a formal protest challenging PJM's cost allocation plan, arguing it would unfairly spread coal plant maintenance costs across the entire region.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Big Bend Electric Cooperative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oglethorpe Power Corporation: Georgia cooperative providing wholesale generation and transmission to member EMCs; structurally analogous member-owned G&T model with similar regulatory and large-load growth dynamics.
- Seminole Electric Cooperative: Florida generation-and-transmission cooperative serving distribution co-op members; similar non-profit, member-owned model and comparable exposure to rapid load growth and cost-allocation disputes.
- Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Large Texas member-owned electric cooperative distributing power to residential, commercial, and increasingly large-load customers; comparable structure, regulatory posture, and member-service mandate to Big Bend.
- Big Rivers Electric Corporation: Kentucky-based generation-and-transmission cooperative; directly comparable wholesale power provider for distribution co-ops and faces analogous PJM/MISO interface and member-protection issues.
- East Kentucky Power Cooperative: Generation-and-transmission partner cooperative referenced in the same source material; operates the same member-owned cooperative model in Kentucky and is jointly engaged in the PJM cost-allocation protest with Big Bend's network.
Others
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): Trade association representing U.S. electric cooperatives; not a direct competitor but the umbrella organization providing advocacy, regulatory support, and shared services relevant to Big Bend's federal-rate and PJM posture.
- PJM Interconnection: Regional transmission organization that is the explicit regulatory counterpart in Big Bend's cost-allocation dispute; relevant as the structural counterparty whose rules drive Big Bend's member-rate economics.
Regional players
- Plateau Electric Cooperative: Member-owned distribution cooperative in a different geography; provides a useful benchmark on cooperative distribution operating models, data-center tariff design, and member-rates practices.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Big Bend Electric Cooperative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Bend Electric Cooperative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Big Bend Electric Cooperative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Bend Electric Cooperative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Big Bend Electric Cooperative
What does Big Bend Electric Cooperative do?
Big Bend Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric cooperative that generates, transmits, and distributes electric energy to its members across rural service territories. The organization is part of a broader network of electric cooperatives that collectively serve over 1 million people across 89 Kentucky counties, and it advocates for fair cost allocation in federal regulatory proceedings on behalf of residential members.
Is Big Bend Electric Cooperative a public or private company?
Big Bend Electric Cooperative is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Big Bend Electric Cooperative founded?
Big Bend Electric Cooperative was founded in 1939. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Big Bend Electric Cooperative based?
Big Bend Electric Cooperative is headquartered in Ritzville, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Big Bend Electric Cooperative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Seminole Electric Cooperative, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Big Rivers Electric Corporation and East Kentucky Power Cooperative. Others are National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and PJM Interconnection. Plateau Electric Cooperative is listed as a regional player.
Does Big Bend Electric Cooperative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Bend Electric Cooperative.
What industry is Big Bend Electric Cooperative in?
Big Bend Electric Cooperative's product category is Electric Utility Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADABAC, Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities), with a secondary code of EUADABAI, Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies). Its NAICS code is 221122 and its SIC code is 4911.