Reliable. Affordable. Responsible.
Powering homes, farms and businesses in rural Missouri is a point of pride for Associated Electric Cooperative, the generation and transmission cooperative located in Springfield, Missouri. If you are a member of a co-op in Missouri, southeast Iowa or northeast Oklahoma, your electricity comes from Associated’s power plants. This cooperative is owned by members like you and serves 2.1 million people. It’s controlled through three tiers, including your distribution cooperative, its transmission cooperative and a board including representatives from each level.
“Associated generates power for electric cooperatives in our system with values learned from our member-owners,” says Emery “Buster” Geisendorfer, member-elected president of Associated’s board of directors. “We know they want reliable, affordable power generated in a responsible way. That’s how we view the power we generate — it must meet that reliable, affordable and responsible test.”
A Lewis County Rural Electric Cooperative member, Buster is a cattleman from Monticello. He serves on his local board and is president of Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative, a regional transmission co-op. He says the three-tiered system — distribution, transmission and generation — is a key difference in why and how Associated generates power.
“I’m a member, too,” Buster says. “Those who serve our member-owners at every level of the three-tiered system are focused on members.”
Power when you need it
Providing reliable power expected by members requires different types of generation. Associated’s fleet — producing electricity generated by natural gas, coal, wind and hydropower -— is diverse enough to provide power on the hottest, coldest, driest, windiest and calmest days. Natural gas and coal are the most reliable forms of generation because they operate around the clock. They can be controlled unlike power sources that use available wind, sunshine or water to operate. There also are adequate supplies of natural gas and coal, including a 45- to 60-day coal stockpile onsite that keeps each of the plants running when needed.