Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative1000 W. Highway 92, Kearney, Missouri, United States

One of the problems, in addition to the Great Depression, that rural farmers and communities faced in the mid ‘30s was the lack of infrastructure to provide electric service.

Nine out of 10 homes were without electric service, and a report written by investor-owned electric industry executives said, “there are very few farms requiring electricity for major farm operations that are not now served.” As a result of the utilities’ “research,” city-based investor-owned electric companies refused to build or extend lines to the rural areas, saying it would not be profitable. It was wildly apparent these executives hadn’t asked farmers north of Kansas City if they “required” electricity.

Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative is part of a three-tiered system of nonprofit electric cooperatives that generate, distribute and sell electric service.

As part of a diversified mix of power sources, Platte-Clay’s electric power provider, Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., (AECI) contracted to buy all of the wind power for 20 years from the first three wind farms in Missouri. The three northwest Missouri commercial wind farms, which became operational in 2007, were constructed by St. Louis-based Wind Capital Group, and financed by John Deere Wind Energy, a unit of Deere & Co.

To increase the amount of wind generated power, in 2011 Associated signed two long-term contracts: BP Wind Energy’s Flat Ridge 2 farm in south-central Kansas for 300 megawatts and Wind Capital Group’s Osage County wind farm in northeast Oklahoma for 150 MW.  Today, AECI now supplies 750 MW of wind-generated energy to rural electric cooperative members.

In 2006, Platte-Clay initiated an Energy Management Plan to focus on helping members save energy, and thus reducing members’ energy costs. From time to time, the annual Youth Tour essay topics focuses on teaching high school juniors the importance of saving energy.

In the spring of 2008, AECI rolled out an energy conservation plan called Take Control & Save that provides rebate incentives to co-op members who buy Energy Star-rated appliances and who install geothermal or dual fuel heat pumps. The program is administered through Platte-Clay as part of the co-op’s Energy Management Plan.

Who We Are

Platte-Clay Electric is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 20,000 metered accounts in Buchanan, Caldwell, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb, Platte and Ray Counties, just north of metropolitan Kansas City.

Established in 1938 as a result of the Rural Electrification Act, today Platte-Clay is among the most progressive and fastest-growing electric co-ops in Missouri.

A commitment to technology enables the co-op to provide high quality customer service with a low employee-to-member ratio, which helps keep operating costs down.

The co-op has been recognized for its outstanding customer service in national customer service surveys, the American  Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Platte-Clay is part of the Touchstone Energy network of more than 600 rural electric cooperatives that together comprise the largest electric utility network in the U.S.

The rural electric cooperatives:

• all together, are the largest electric utility network in the U.S.
• distribute power over 2.5 million miles of line
• are in 47 states
• serve 75 percent of the U.S. land mass
• own $130 billion in generation, transmission and distribution assets
• serve members in 80 percent of the nation’s counties

The Touchstone affiliation allows Platte-Clay, and other rural electric cooperatives, to take advantage of national branding campaigns.

Cooperative Environmental Policy

As a consumer-owned utility, Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative Inc. (PCEC) is committed to a meaningful dialogue with our members concerning the protection of the environment. PCEC will provide affordable, reliable electricity for its customers and also be a good steward of our shared environment. In furtherance of the foregoing, PCEC will:

• Comply with environmental laws and regulations that apply to our operations
• Seek regular member input regarding environmental issues and share such views with N-W Electric and Associated Electric Cooperative (AECI) (Platte-Clay’s generation and transmission cooperative partners)
• Consider environmental factors in planning and managing our business
• Periodically evaluate our environmental goals and policies

Platte-Clay will be a good member of the community in connection with environmental matters. We hope that our members and affiliates will join us in this effort.

Environmental Responsibility

Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative encourages its members to be responsible with all types of energy used and to take simple, yet effective measures to help save energy, and costs, through the co-op’s ongoing Energy Management Plan.

The cooperative has a recycling and hazardous waste program for paper, aluminum, electronics and fluorescent lights.

As a service to co-op members, Platte-Clay accepts exhausted compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) from residential (only) members, carefully double-wrapped in a plastic bag, for proper disposal.

Platte-Clay’s power producer, Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), committed to buy renewable energy from the first three commercial wind farms in Missouri. The utility-scale wind farms were built by St. Louis-based Wind Energy Group and financed by John Deere Wind Energy Group, a division of Deere & Co. The power co-op has a 20-year contract for the renewable resource.

The wind farms, located in Atchison County, near Tarkio; Gentry County, near King City; and Conception, in Nodaway County will produce enough renewable energy for 45,000 rural electric cooperative homes. Two of the wind farms have 24 Suzlon S-88, 2.1 megawatt turbines, the Bluegrass Ridge wind farm, near King City, has 27 units that together are capable of producing 157 megawatts.

In 2011, AECI contracted to buy 300 MW of power from BP Wind Energy’s Flat Ridge 2 farm and Wind Capital Group’s Osage County wind farm, for a total of 750 MW of wind-generated energy.

The cooperative system built additional transmission lines to the rural wind farms.

Platte-Clay’s power producer follows these core beliefs:

• Associated is a responsible corporate citizen and will be in environmental compliance.
• Environmental standards will be incorporated into corporate culture.
• There will be transparency in operations and the implementation of this policy.
• Associated is committed to good stewardship of natural resources and using those resources in an environmentally responsible manner and as efficiently as possible consistent with being a low-cost and reliable electric supplier.
• Participation in environmental policy debates is critical to balancing environmental policy with economic reality.
• Environmental impact will be included in Associated’s planning process.

Energy Products

Your non-profit electric co-op offers a line of energy-related products at special member pricing for your home or business. Our goal is to help co-op members save energy and money by offering products and services to enhance your life

The 7 Cooperative Principles

All cooperative businesses adhere to these seven guiding principles:

1. Voluntary and Open Membership

Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.

2. Democratic Member Control

Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. The elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are organized in a democratic manner.

3. Members’ Economic Participation

Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership.

Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative and supporting other activities approved by the membership.

4. Autonomy and Independence

Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy.

5. Education, Training and Information

Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation.

6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives

Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.

7. Concern for Community

While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.