In May, I was approached by T&D World, which is an online trade magazine to write an article about how our small Co-op is making an impact in our area. This months article is a trimmed down version of the online article.

Reliability? The Silver Bullet is Skilled Workers.

An unprecedented 52.4% of Union County Electric Cooperative's entire system is underground. Recently we have converted another 19 miles of overhead to underground and added an additional 12 miles of new distribution underground. For a small Rural Electric Cooperative, this is great progress. The upgrades have greatly improved reliability and reduced the number of outages. Over the next several years, we will increase the number of underground miles as we slowly, but steadily replace an aging overhead system. Undergrounding these lines has also reduced the risk of public contacts from storms and farm equipment. The goal has been to improve reliability and mitigate hazards as much as possible.

Late last year, the Co-op added an electric vehicle and charging station to their fleet. The 2023 Tesla Model Y is utilized by staff to attend meetings and training, saving the Co-op approximately $5,000 per year in fuel costs. But it was purchased in part to allow employees to learn about the technology so they could answer questions that they were receiving from members.

This year, a grant application has been submitted to install a solar array and standby battery system at the headquarters. Again, this is a saving to the Co-op, but the Board of Directors felt it is just as important from an educational standpoint. As our generation portfolio continues to diversify, our members are exploring this technology and looking to us for answers. Our employees want to learn more about this so they can educate our members.

So how did we do all this?

The key is cultivating a skilled workforce. It all starts with the employees. Without employees who are engaged, willing to work together and having the ability to look to the future, we couldn’t accomplish this. We encourage our employees to think outside of the box. Our Board of Directors provides opportunities for the employees to continue learning from others. The more people that the employees can interact with, the more ideas they can come up with to solve problems. I can throw an idea at the employee group, and we will work together to figure out how to make it happen.

We have a young staff right now. But there is a need for more people to enter the trades. Eventually, we will need more employees and what better place to get them than right here at home. In 2023, UCEC began partnering with some area high schools to bring in interns who are interested in either being electricians or linemen. This has allowed them to understand the duties of being in these trades. Further, it has given us some insight into these young people and helped build relationships with our potential future workforce. These are great career opportunities. I feel it is our responsibility to bring them in and show them what is possible. If they are hardworking and have an eagerness to learn they can have a long, meaningful career with a Rural Electric Cooperative.

Until next month, stay safe and God bless.

Quote of the Month: “Constantly think about how you could be doing things better” – Elon Musk - Entrepreneur, CEO of Tesla