Johnson – Senator Patrick Leahy paid a visit to Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) on Monday morning to recognize VEC for it’s national leadership role in deploying its smart grid.  During a tour of VEC’s Smart Grid Control Center, Senator Leahy congratulated VEC on receiving Power magazine’s first ever Smart Grid Award earlier last week.  

The Senator discussed the important role of Vermont utilities in the nation’s energy future and thanked VEC employees for their work.  “We are honored to have the Senator recognize VEC employees for their accomplishments,” said David Hallquist, CEO.  “At the same time we realize that we have a responsibility to continue to provide even more value to our members by maximizing the capability of our smart grid technology.  We have only scratched the surface of its potential.”

VEC is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative founded in 1938 and Vermont’s third-largest electric distribution utility. Today, VEC serves approximately 34,000 members and 37,000 retail meters in 74 towns in the northern part of the state. VEC has been a state and national leader in Smart Grid implementation, currently communicating with more than 33,000 smart meters via Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) technology.