In the mid-1940s, rural electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania paid the highest wholesale power rates in the nation. In 1946, 13 rural electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania banded together to form the Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Allegheny), a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative, to address the disparity in affordable energy. In 1974, New Jersey’s lone electric cooperative joined the Allegheny family. Allegheny achieves its mission of safely providing reliable electric generation at the lowest cost possible to its members through a diversified energy portfolio. Based in Harrisburg, Pa., the G&T has an energy mix that includes owned nuclear and hydroelectric resources as well as supplemental market purchases. Working hand in hand with those it serves, Allegheny and its member cooperatives maintain a bond to be counted on.
In Pennsylvania, Allegheny supports 13 rural electric cooperatives that maintain approximately 12.5% of all electric distribution lines, spanning one-third of the Commonwealth in 42 counties. New Jersey’s lone electric cooperative maintains roughly 1% of the Garden State’s total miles of line. Through these facilities, Allegheny member cooperatives deliver electricity to more than 238,000 homes, farms, small businesses, and industries while exemplifying integrity, accountability, innovation, and commitment to community.
Working in close partnership with Allegheny is the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association (PREA). Since 1942, PREA has served as the unified voice for electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Together, PREA and Allegheny facilitate cooperation among the member cooperatives, a core principle of cooperatives of all kinds.