Mohave Electric Cooperative was established in 1946. Within a year it was serving 90 meter locations on five miles of line. People working together formed the Co-op as member-owners to bring electricity to a rural area that investor owned companies would not serve because they could not make a profit.
Fast forward to today. Mohave Electric Cooperative is a locally-based, not-for-profit distribution cooperative, providing electricity to more than 39,000 meters with more than 1500 miles of line in the communities of Bullhead City, Fort Mohave, Mohave Valley, Golden Shores, Topock, Wikieup, Hackberry, Peach Springs, Valentine, Truxton, Hualapai Mountain, and Valle Vista. Providing electricity is a big job, performed by MEC’s member-elected Board of Directors and 77 employees working together to bring reliable energy and superior service to our members. As a not-for-profit membership form of business, our cooperative is not driven by profits, but by our values—Innovation, Accountability, Integrity, and Commitment to Community. Our rates cover the cost of doing business and they are not marked up to generate a profit. Today America’s rural electric cooperatives serve 75% of the land area, but only 25% of the population.
Across America in the 1930’s, cities had been served with electricity since the late 1800’s, but the vast rural areas were still using coal oil lamps and power from diesel generators. At that time, power to remote areas was not thought to be economically feasible. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was created and it paved the way for the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. Enacted on May 20, 1936 the Act provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated farms, ranches, and other rural areas of the United States.
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