Stronger together: celebrating South Carolina’s electric cooperatives

October is National Cooperative Month, a time to recognize the power of the cooperative model and the people behind it. Across South Carolina, 19 local electric cooperatives serve more than 2 million people. Each of these cooperatives is deeply rooted in the communities it serves.

At Central Electric Power Cooperative, we’re proud to support these co-ops by providing affordable, reliable power for our members. As the generation and transmission cooperative serving all of these not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, Central plays a unique role in helping ensure our members have the resources, infrastructure and power they need to keep homes, businesses and communities energized. 

Each of the cooperatives is strong on its own. But we are even stronger when we work together. This past year offered powerful reminders of that strength.

Resilience and cooperation during storm devastation

When Hurricane Helene caused widespread outages across the state, South Carolina’s co-ops responded with speed and determination. Roughly 3,400 lineworkers, including crews from across the country, worked around the clock to restore power to more than 425,000 members. Thanks to strategic planning, seamless coordination and the spirit of cooperation, South Carolina’s cooperatives were able to restore power to most of those members in just a few days – and all of them in just two weeks.

Every cooperative played a role in the response. After wrapping up restoration at home, crews from 11 S.C. co-ops volunteered to help restore power for their sister co-ops across the state.That’s the cooperative difference in action.

Investing in South Carolina’s energy future

This year also marked a major step forward for our state’s clean energy and long-term grid resilience. Our local distribution co-ops continue to explore opportunities to advance community solar, energy efficiency programs, and grid modernization initiatives—all designed to improve service and reliability while managing long-term costs.

At Central, we work hand-in-hand with our member cooperatives to navigate a rapidly evolving energy landscape. From resource planning to design and construction, we ensure our co-ops are well-positioned to meet growing demand and support economic development across all 46 counties in South Carolina.

More than a utility

Electric cooperatives are more than power providers. We are community builders. Born out of a spirit of local ownership and democratic control, electric co-ops continue to operate with one goal in mind: to serve people, not shareholders. That purpose is woven into everything we do at Central. We are guided by the Seven Cooperative Principles, and we work every day to deliver power that is reliable, affordable, and forward-looking.

Celebrating National Cooperative Month

This October, we celebrate not only the cooperative model, but also the people who make it all possible. From lineworkers and engineers to community leaders and member-owners. Together, we are shaping South Carolina’s energy future. One that is smarter, more resilient, and rooted in the communities we call home.

Thank you for supporting and believing in the cooperative difference. We are stronger together and prouder than ever to serve as your generation and transmission partner.