Common purpose unites three tiers

Associated Electric board members are informed and involved in their wholesale power cooperative, from the boardroom table and governance that keeps it focused on its mission to government and legislative relations to touring power plants to learn more about operations.

The three-tiered system, united by the common purpose of serving electric cooperative members with affordable, responsible and reliable electricity, brings efficiency through specialization at each "tier." The entire three-tiered system benefits from the economy of scale and, since each tier can react quickly to changes, the overall competitiveness of the system is improved.

The top tier is comprised of 51 member distribution cooperatives in Missouri, southern Iowa and northeast Oklahoma. These distribution cooperatives provide electric service directly to more than 935,000 member meters, including businesses, farms and households that represent more than two million people.

Distribution cooperatives take on many different responsibilities, including installation and maintenance of power lines from substations to members' homes, planning for future needs of their service areas, working with communities to encourage economic development, helping their members use electricity efficiently, incorporating consumer technology and educating about safety.

At the second tier are the regional transmission member-owners that transmit the power from Associated Electric Cooperative to the 51 distribution cooperatives. These organizations are known as generation and transmission cooperatives (G&Ts), and they serve six geographical areas of Missouri, southern Iowa and northeast Oklahoma.

The G&Ts operate, build and maintain the high-voltage transmission system built with member investment. Additional strengths the G&Ts bring to Associated that ensure its success include member governance that keeps it focused on its mission; legislative, government, industry and community relations; and interconnections and relationships with neighboring utilities.

In 1961 the six G&Ts formed the system's third tier, Associated Electric Cooperative, which was subsequently given responsibilities for generation and power procurement, leaving transmission as the primary responsibility of Associated Electric's six owners.

Associated and its member-owners are united in this three-tiered system of generation, transmission and distribution cooperatives. Each tier is committed to the others through all-requirements contracts. These contracts help ensure Associated will provide a wholesale power supply to meet members' needs, and that member systems will buy all their power supply from Associated. These reciprocal obligations produce one of the best electric cooperative organizations in the nation.

Our statewide associations – the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives and the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives – are an important part of this cooperative family.