Ohio's Electric Cooperatives

What Ohio's Electric Cooperatives does

Ohio's Electric Cooperatives is the statewide services association and generation-and-transmission (G&T) cooperative for the 25 member-owned electric distribution cooperatives serving rural Ohio. Formally operating as Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (OREC) and its wholly-owned generation subsidiary Buckeye Power, Inc., the organization was founded in 1941 (with roots to the first electric cooperative pole raised in Ohio in 1935) and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Its core function is to provide wholesale power generation, statewide shared services (government affairs, communications, safety training, youth and scholarship programs), and economic development support to its 25 member distribution cooperatives, which in turn serve end-user residential and commercial members across 77 of Ohio's 88 counties plus parts of Indiana and Michigan.

The generation portfolio is anchored by Cardinal Operating Company's 1,800 MW coal-fired plant in Brilliant, Ohio (a three-unit facility on the Ohio River representing over $1 billion in cumulative emissions-control investment since 2012), augmented by a 510 MW natural gas peaking plant (Robert P. Mone Generating Station) and a diversified mix of renewables including solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass. Member cooperatives such as Paulding Putnam have recently extended fiber broadband over approximately 650 miles of mainline infrastructure. Workforce development is delivered through the Central Ohio Lineworker Training (COLT) program, a four-year apprenticeship comprising 12 courses, 600 contact hours, and 8,000 on-the-job training hours at the Mt. Gilead facility, supplemented by Safety & Loss Prevention (ST&LP) services and a VR lineworker training pilot with Federated Insurance and NRECA.

The business model is a non-profit cooperative: revenue is generated by wholesale electricity sales from Buckeye Power to the 25 member distribution cooperatives (which resell power to end-use members), plus emerging fiber internet subscription revenue at member co-ops. Surplus is reinvested in infrastructure, training, and member services rather than distributed to shareholders. Customer relationships are bound by territorial service exclusivity and member equity stakes; the G&T model creates efficient-scale pooling of generation resources across small, dispersed distribution co-ops that could not individually support baseload power. Broader strategic positioning emphasizes regulatory advocacy (notably against EPA carbon rules), rural broadband expansion, and rural economic development via partnerships with NRECA, Touchstone Energy, and federal programs such as the $7.3B New ERA initiative.

Name

Ohio's Electric Cooperatives

Legal name

Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc., and Buckeye Power, Inc.

Website

https://ohioec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ohio's Electric Cooperatives is a non-profit generation-and-transmission cooperative and statewide services association serving 25 member-owned electric distribution cooperatives across 77 of Ohio's 88 counties, providing wholesale power, training, government affairs, and shared services to rural utilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Services (Generation and Transmission)

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation (221112), Wind Electric Power Generation (221115)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Utility-Integrated Distributed Energy Resources (DER) & Non-Wires Alternatives (EUACALAF), Transmission Substations & High-Voltage Switchyards (EUADAAAF)

Keywords

• Wholesale power generation
• Electric cooperative services
• Power transmission infrastructure
• Lineworker training programs
• Rural electricity distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Electricity Generation and Transmission: Ohio's Electric Cooperatives, through Buckeye Power, generates and transmits electricity to 25 member distribution cooperatives. Revenue is derived from electricity sales to member co-ops, which then serve end-use members. The cooperative model means revenue is reinvested in infrastructure and member services rather than distributed to shareholders.
2. Fiber Internet Services: Some member cooperatives (e.g., Paulding Putnam) have expanded to provide fiber internet broadband services to members as a new revenue stream, approved by boards and first deployed in 2025.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ohio's Electric Cooperatives is the generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative and statewide services association for 25 electric distribution cooperatives serving Ohio. Through its subsidiary Buckeye Power, it generates and transmits wholesale electricity (primarily via the 1,800 MW Cardinal coal plant and 510 MW Mone natural gas peaking plant) to member co-ops. It also provides statewide services including government affairs advocacy, communications, the COLT lineworker apprenticeship program, youth programs, scholarships, and economic development support to its member cooperatives.

Product overview

Ohio's Electric Cooperatives operates as a generation and transmission cooperative and statewide services association serving Ohio's electric cooperatives. The organization provides power generation through Buckeye Power and Cardinal Operating Company (coal-fired plant), offers workforce development via the Central Ohio Lineworker Training (COLT) apprenticeship program, administers scholarship programs for members and their children, and provides safety training services. Additional offerings include Youth Programs (Youth Tour to Washington D.C.), Government Affairs advocacy, Ohio Cooperative Living magazine, and the Imagination Library literacy program. Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, a member co-op, has launched fiber internet service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Buckeye Power Wholesale Electricity Generation

Quantifiable outcome

• Cardinal Plant powers 380,000+ homes and businesses across 77 Ohio counties
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Rural Economic Developers Association (NREDA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Ohio's Electric Cooperatives hosted NREDA's Biennial Regional Event June 16-17, 2026 in Marysville, Ohio, bringing together 40+ rural development professionals to discuss economic growth, healthcare access, entrepreneurship, and workforce development.
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRECA is the national trade organization for electric cooperatives. Ohio's Electric Cooperatives participates in NRECA programs including Youth Tour, legislative conferences, safety training (RESAP), and receives advocacy support on federal energy policy and EPA regulations.
• Touchstone Energy CooperativescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOhio's member cooperatives are part of Touchstone Energy, a national network providing resources and partnerships to help member cooperatives better engage and serve their members. Firelands Electric Cooperative is explicitly identified as a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.
• Titan America LLC / Separation Technologies LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardinal Operating Company has an exclusive agreement with Separation Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of Titan America, to market and sell fly ash produced by the plant for use in cement and concrete production, eliminating landfill storage needs.
• Federated InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederated Insurance partnered with NRECA and Pike Electric to develop virtual reality lineworker training for cooperatives nationwide. Ohio participated in the pilot program for downed overhead conductor repair training.
• Energicity (Sierra Leone)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio's Electric Cooperatives volunteered with NRECA International to conduct training for technicians of mini-grid systems in Freetown, Sierra Leone, training approximately 12 Energicity technicians in safety, linework, and electrical systems.
• Ohio Line Supervisors Association (OLSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOLSA partners with OEC on annual golf scrambles to raise funds for the Blake Rodgers Memorial Scholarship at Scioto County Career Technical Center. OLSA donated $16,304 to the scholarship fund.
• Honda MarysvilleminorOthersNREDA event attendees toured Honda Marysville manufacturing facility as part of rural development conference, learning how large-scale manufacturing shapes local economies and workforce pipelines.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Great River Energy: Minnesota-based G&T electric cooperative supplying wholesale power to member distribution co-ops. Directly comparable member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative structure with diversified generation.
• Old Dominion Electric Cooperative: Virginia-based G&T cooperative supplying wholesale power to member distribution co-ops in the mid-Atlantic. Comparable member-owned structure and generation/transmission scope.
• PowerSouth Energy Cooperative: Alabama generation and transmission cooperative serving member distribution co-ops across Alabama and northwest Florida. Operates coal, natural gas, and hydroelectric generation—directly comparable scale and asset mix.
• Associated Electric Cooperative: Missouri-based G&T cooperative generating and transmitting wholesale power to member co-ops across Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Direct structural and operational peer to Buckeye Power's G&T function.
• Hoosier Energy: Indiana generation and transmission cooperative with overlapping geographic reach (parts of Indiana adjacent to Ohio's service territory). Direct peer in scale, generation mix, and member-cooperative model.
• Basin Electric Power Cooperative: Largest generation and transmission cooperative in the U.S., serving member distribution co-ops across multiple states with coal, natural gas, and renewable generation. Structurally identical business model to Ohio's Electric Cooperatives / Buckeye Power.
• Seminole Electric Cooperative: Florida G&T cooperative providing wholesale generation and transmission to member distribution co-ops across Florida. Comparable G&T cooperative model serving geographically concentrated member base.

Regional players

• AEP Ohio: Investor-owned utility serving the majority of Ohio customers outside cooperative territories. Operates in overlapping geography but with a fundamentally different ownership structure—useful as a regional context for generation scale and regulatory dynamics, not a direct cooperative peer.

Broad incumbents

• Touchstone Energy Cooperatives: National alliance/network of 750+ electric cooperatives across 46 states including Ohio's member co-ops. Touchstone Energy is a brand, services, and partnership cooperative—not a G&T peer but the umbrella organization of which Ohio's Electric Cooperatives is a core member.

Others

• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): National trade association for electric cooperatives providing advocacy, training, and programs. Ohio's Electric Cooperatives is a member of NRECA and participates in Youth Tour, legislative conferences, and RESAP safety training—comparable only as an industry-level enabler rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ohelectriccoops
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCC0xmfvBQao3Fhn7M-gwP8w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ohioec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohio's Electric Cooperatives