Delaware Electric Cooperative


Delaware Electric Cooperative is a utility cooperative that distributes electricity to rural areas in Kent and Sussex counties in the state of Delaware, serving 94,000 customers. The cooperative, which was founded in 1936, is headquartered in Greenwood. It is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative and a member of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, an electric generation and transmission cooperative. As an electric cooperative, DEC is owned by the members who it provides electricity to.

History

The Delaware Rural Electric Association was founded in 1936 following the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of his New Deal. The goal of the electric cooperative was to provide affordable and sustainable electricity to rural areas where electric companies would not invest in improvements. Farmers in Delaware got together and purchased utility poles, built a substation, and installed a few miles of power lines. In 1946, the Delaware Rural Electric Association became known as Delaware Electric Cooperative. The electric cooperative moved into its current headquarters in Greenwood in 1998. Since 2000, Delaware Electric Cooperative has seen its membership significantly increase with the rapid development that has taken place in southern Delaware. On June 19, 2017, winds from a severe thunderstorm caused significant damage to Delaware Electric Cooperative's headquarters in Greenwood.