Since 1940
Our Story
Member-owned and built to serve Northwest Oklahoma.
How it began
Neighbors who wouldn’t wait.
Northwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NWEC) was incorporated July 10, 1940, after farmers and ranchers in the northwestern part of Oklahoma were unable to secure electrical service from any other source.
The Cooperative was organized to perform a service and not as a profit-making organization.
Today
Grown across seven counties.
The Cooperative has grown and branched out to serve in Woodward, Ellis, Harper, Beaver, Major, Woods and Dewey Counties. Today, NWEC has a workforce of 50 employees and provides electricity to over 11,900 meters and more than 5,000 miles of line.
We provide energy needs to industrial, commercial, and residential members throughout northwest Oklahoma.
Where our power comes from
Owned together with 18 other cooperatives.
NWEC purchases all of the power it sells to its members from Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC), a generation and transmission cooperative. NWEC, along with 18 other cooperatives in the state, owns Western Farmers.
The Cooperative also belongs to the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Our Fuel Mix
Governance
Led by members, for members.
Nine directors elected from the membership determine major policies of the Cooperative and hire a manager to conduct the day-to-day business and carry out board policies.
Directors
Elected from the membership, one for each of the co-op’s nine districts.
Year terms
Directors are local members who run for election every three years and are voted on by members in their district.
Eligibility
Details on trustee eligibility can be found in Article IV section 2.1 in our bylaws.
Serving on the OAEC board of directors is John Bruce, Jr. of Sharon.
Get involved
Your voice shapes the co-op.
Members of the cooperative have many opportunities to be involved in the business operations of the cooperative, for example by attending and participating in district and annual meetings.
District Meetings
Each member is part of one of the co-op’s nine districts, and every three years a meeting will be hosted somewhere in their district. It consists of a board member election, if applicable, and an update from the co-op staff.
Annual Meeting
Another vitally important event is the co-op’s annual meeting. Each year the cooperative hosts a business meeting open to all members to attend and learn more about what has gone on in the co-op for the past year. Any changes to the bylaws are also brought to the membership for a vote at the annual meeting.