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Who We Are

Cooperative is not just what we are, it’s how we operate.

Electric cooperatives are consumer-owned membership corporations originally formed in the 1930s and ’40s to provide electric service to rural sections of the country. Today there are over 900 electric cooperatives throughout 47 states that serve over 42 million people.

Learn more about the Power Grid that Connects Us All:

Power Grid that Connects Us All Infographic (PDF)

Who We Are

ODEC is a not-for-profit wholesale generation and transmission cooperative that operates for the benefit of our members, who are our owners.

  • We are dedicated to being both reliable energy providers and responsible environmental stewards
  • We provide reliable, cost effective, environmentally sustainable, wholesale electric services
  • We provide service to 11 member distribution cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware
  • Our core business is generating, purchasing and delivering electricity to our members


What We Do

We serve our Members in the mid-Atlantic region.

  • Safely generating electricity
  • Employing industry knowledge
  • Optimizing resources (including Demand Response and Energy Efficiency)
  • Enhancing financial strength
  • Mitigating enterprise risk to provide reliable, environmentally-sustainable power supply at the lowest possible cost

How We Do It

We create value for our Members and partner with them in “keeping the lights on.”

  • ODEC and our members are each governed by a Board of Directors comprised of representatives elected from and by the respective entity’s total membership
  • Through effective leadership, we utilize the collective strength of our Members and our Employees
  • Through stakeholder education, we share the ODEC ownership structure, our purpose and how we operate

Who We Serve

We provide power to a population of 1.5 million.

  • Our 11 members provide retail electric service to their member-owners who total more than 600,000 (in terms of meters served) representing a population of approximately 1.5 million
  • Consumers are located in 70 counties along 59,000 miles of distribution lines
  • Consumers extend from Delaware and Maryland, south across Virginia to the North Carolina border, and from Virginia’s Eastern Shore to the Allegheny Highlands
  • Our corporate headquarters is located in Glen Allen, Virginia

1948

ODEC was incorporated

600K

Meters served

1.5M

Residents served

7 Cooperative Principles

1

Voluntary & Open Membership

Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership without gender, social, racial, political, or religious discrimination.

2

Democratic Member Control

Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions.

3

Members’ Economic Participation

Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative.

4

Autonomy & Independence

Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members.

5

Education, Training & Information

Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation.

6

Cooperation Among Cooperatives

Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional, and international structures.

7

Concern for Community

While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policy. In additional to the 7 cooperative principles, qualifications for membership and the rights and obligations of our members are defined by law and established in our cooperative bylaws.

Our Values

We value our Members and their Member-Owners, our Employees, and our Stakeholders, and we pursue continuous learning with a commitment to the following values:

Safety

We promote an accident-free, secure and healthy work environment with the goal of eliminating at-risk behaviors and unsafe conditions.

Integrity

We do the right things by maintaining high ethical standards, focusing on fairness and respect, embracing diversity and never compromising our values.

Accountability

We accept responsibility for our actions and for the effective use of people’s talents, environmental resources, and physical assets.

Service

We are committed to serving our members and their member owners by providing reliable, environmentally-balanced power supply at the lowest possible cost.

Quick Facts About ODEC