Electric cooperatives face a series of demand growth drivers, from population shifts to energy-intensive data centers, and some of the fastest-growing co-ops have lessons to share on how to accommodate them.

“One of the great virtues of our co-op family is that someone has been down this road before," said Chris Jones, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric, one of the largest U.S. distribution co-ops by both accounts and sales. “So, we should share those [stories] with each other."

While challenging from a planning and investment standpoint, growth can be a chance for co-ops to think outside the box on expanding and improving their systems, a senior leader of one generation and transmission co-op adds.

“Be willing to challenge the status quo," says Gentry Ewing, director of strategic affairs for Rayburn Electric Cooperative in Rockwall, Texas. “If there's a better way to do something that creates more value for our members, we are always open to it. That mindset is part of how we continue to grow and improve."

With over 900 member co-ops, NRECA is educating and facilitating idea-sharing on handling growth, from both a technology and policy perspective.

“Co-ops are different in many ways, but some of these trends impact them in a very similar way," says Lidija Sekaric, NRECA vice president of innovation and emerging technology.

“We can help both educate co-ops about what's happening in the industry and look at some very specific actionable lessons learned … We can share that knowledge."

Growth stories

For the last decade, CoServ Electric in Texas has added a staggering 14,100 meters a year on average, making it one of the swiftest-growing distribution co-ops in the country.

The Corinth-based co-op serves around 339,000 meters, more than triple the 100,000-meter threshold it reached in 2004, as Texas woos residents from other states like California.

“I would say just look at it as a good challenge," CEO Donnie Clary says. “I wouldn't shy away from it."

Steady but strong growth has helped CoServ rebuild most of its system in the last 20 years and invest heavily in distribution automation. That relatively new system can isolate outages and feed meters from different locations while repairing the outage.

The co-op also has a robust programmable thermostat program and just signed an agreement with Base Power to deploy batteries at customers' homes to shave peak loads during extreme summer heat.

An expanding member base “gives you the resources to do some things that you might not otherwise be able to do," Clary says. “We're blessed with a really good board that gives us those resources. But our size allows us to spread that cost across a lot of meters and it allows us to provide those services."

Co-ops experiencing growth should make sure their financial forecasting is as accurate as possible and show their boards what the impact of that growth will be, Clary advises.

SECO Energy in Florida is also undergoing sharp growth in its residential business, picking up 13,000 new accounts just in 2025. The Sumterville-based distribution co-op serves The Villages retirement community in central Florida, as well as bedroom communities near Orlando and the city of Ocala—dubbed the “horse capital of the world."

As with CoServ, the growth has helped modernize and upgrade SECO Energy's distribution system. It has ramped up adoption of advanced metering infrastructure in the past two years and kept wholesale power costs down through distributed energy resource management and a conservation voltage reduction program.

“Being in a high-growth area really can kind of push you to implement newer technology," CEO Curtis Wynn says.

Close coordination with G&Ts and equipment suppliers is key to accommodating big growth, he adds.

SECO also gets involved early with local governments on utility resource planning and project permitting, with access to land and easements for infrastructure a big challenge.

“They just assume, 'Well, electricity is going to be there,'" Wynn says. “We have to get ourselves on the radar and [say], 'Don't forget about us.' You might need some power for all that so help us make sure we can build the infrastructure to serve that growing development area."

Another planning priority for growing co-ops is accurately forecasting demand from new developments while insulating themselves from the risk of stranded investments.

“We have a policy, as most co-ops have, that requires a developer to put up a contribution to help us with the buildout of infrastructure where there are empty lots," Wynn says.

New generation

In the last five years, total meter counts and energy use for Rayburn Electric's four distribution co-ops have jumped about 40% amid residential growth near Dallas.

The region is also primed for stronger industrial energy demand. Semiconductor companies Texas Instruments and GlobalWafers are expanding production in the area, and nearly 3,000 megawatts of data center load is approved by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas or under study in Rayburn's service territory—almost double the G&T's peak load of 1,650 MW.

Amid this growth, Rayburn Electric is taking a careful but proactive approach. Any data center the co-op serves must pay for needed infrastructure to protect existing members, Ewing says.

At the same time, the G&T is increasing its generation and transmission portfolio and expanding its workforce, which has tripled from less than 30 people in 2018 to more than 105 employees today. Rayburn Electric bought a natural gas-fired power plant in Sherman, Texas, in 2023 and is about to break ground this summer on a new simple-cycle plant right next door. The co-op is also building new transmission lines and substations and upgrading existing infrastructure to improve reliability and throughput along its power lines.

“We've invested in a number of tools that help us forecast, predict and manage this growth responsibly," Ewing says.

An influx of people and corporate headquarters to the Nashville area, along with electrification and the growth of data centers, is increasing Middle Tennessee Electric's energy needs, Jones says.

While working closely with power provider Tennessee Valley Authority on future generation requirements, Murfreesboro-based MTE is staying ahead of growth on the distribution side.

“We routinely talk with developers and evaluate the [demand] pipeline," Jones explains. “We do a good job of system planning in terms of making sure that we're building enough substations [and] buying up property for substations."

He says co-ops must be willing to invest in the infrastructure and people to meet demand growth and embrace change and innovation.

“Movement creates opportunity," he says. “So don't be afraid to move. Don't be too afraid to take a step you haven't taken before."

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