Buckeye REC receives grant

Dec. 22 - RIO GRANDE - State Representative Jason Stephens recently visited the Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative's (REC) Rio Grande headquarters to form a plan for the funding received from an Ohio Emergency Management Agency [EMA] grant.

According to a press release from Stephen's office, the more than $9 million grant will "enable the co-op to recoup a portion of the damages caused by the area's historic ice storm in February 2021."

Governor Dewine Mike Dewine to declare a state of emergency after the storms in Lawrence and Gallia counties, providing state resources, "including the Ohio National guard and ODOT (Ohio Department of Highways), to assist in the restoration effort by clearing roads and debris."

 According to the press release, nearly 7,7000 residents were left without electric and water for days. "The storms resulted in over 150 broken poles and crossarms and over 640 miles of downed and tangled power lines, resulting in millions of dollars worth of damage for Buckeye REC."

"This grant money will help the co-op support an underserved area of Ohio, and will improve not only the efficiency, but also the quality of service to their surrounding areas," said Stephens. "Governor DeWine came to Lawrence County to see first-hand the issues we were facing, and we all appreciate the administration's quick action to help our communities."

The co-op runs as a "member-owned, not-for-profit organization," serving almost 19,000 customers and crossing over 2,600 miles of primary and secondary lines across nine southern Ohio counties.

"The grant funding we are receiving will not only go towards improving our capacity and reliability, but will also allow us to work on our potential growth moving forward," said Kent Eldridge, Vice President of the co-op's Member Services. "Our impact is much larger than the nine counties that we serve, and we are so grateful for the support and leadership shown from the state throughout tough times."

According to the press release, "roughly $3 million of the grant money coming to Buckeye REC is allocated for ice storm restoration costs, and the remaining $6 million will be used for rebuilding, strengthening and restoring the heavily damaged systems."