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Vermont Electric Cooperative, Inc. (VEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative, which was founded in 1938. VEC’s headquarters are in Johnson, Vermont, with service centers in Grand Isle, Newport and Richford. We are Vermont’s third largest electric utility, serving rural Northern Vermont.
As a cooperative, VEC operates under the Seven Cooperative Principles. We are a democratic organization controlled by our members. A 12 member Board of Directors is elected by members to represent geographically-based districts . These directors actively participate in setting policies and making decisions, and are accountable to the membership.
Today, VEC serves approximately 34,000 members and 37,279 retail meters in 74 towns in the northern part of the state. VEC is currently communicating with more than 36,000 smart meters via Advance Meter Infrastructure (AMI) technology, and is the first utility in Vermont to install and use the AMI system. This use of technology translates to Smart Energy.
A Bit of History
At its origination, VEC was founded to serve residents in parts of rural Lamoille County who had been bypassed by investor-owned utilities. Early service extensions continued into Chittenden and Franklin counties. From 1940 through 1960, our service territory continued to expand in Northern Vermont through the construction of new lines and the acquisition of small private companies. VEC expanded its territory into Southern Vermont through a merger with Halifax Electric Cooperative. In 1970, VEC acquired the International Electric Company serving the Derby Line area along the Canadian border.
VEC completed the acquisition of Citizens Communications Company’s Vermont Electric Division on April 1, 2004, which more than doubled our membership. Recognizing that members in the southern district could be more efficiently served by another distribution utility already serving much of this territory, VEC sold its Southern District in the Windham and Windsor counties to Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS). This district served approximately 2,770 members. This district also included twelve members in three towns on the Massachusetts/Vermont border, which VEC sold to Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) on December 8, 2006.
VEC continues to focus on improving our system performance. An increase in capital funding is allowing us to focus our efforts on critical system improvements including higher levels of vegetation management, substation and line replacements, and maintenance activities. VEC recently completed construction of a new transmission substation in Enosburg, which will improve reliability for VEC members between Highgate and Newport, as well as transmission reliability for the Village of Enosburg.
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