Who We Are

Welcome to TCEC Video

TCEC Overview

Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TCEC) is a member-owned electric cooperative headquartered in Hooker, Oklahoma.

We are a not-for-profit distribution cooperative owned and controlled by our members.

We are proud to be owned and governed by those we serve, and we are committed to enhancing the quality of life for all of our member-owners.

TCEC line workers and bucket trucks

We are led by a straightforward, member-elected board of trustees. Our board is responsible for:

Partnerships

TCEC is a member of:

5-Star Co-Op badge - Text reads Proud to be a 5-Star Co-Op 2023-2024

We belong to and are active in our local:

  • Chamber of commerce
  • Economic development
  • Civic organizations

Fast Facts

$31413967

Capital credits returned to members since 1945

$849521302

Total kilowatt-hours (kWh) sold in 2020

Total miles of line

5456

Square miles in service territory

9

Voting districts and elected trustees representing local members

Service Territory

The utility serves approximately 12,000 members and 22,500 meters in:

The Oklahoma Panhandle

Southwestern Kansas

The northern border of the Texas Panhandle

Parts of Colorado

TCEC service territory map

We serve the following towns:

History

Founding & Early Years

Tri-County Electric Cooperative was incorporated on August 14, 1945, by 9 founding members. They represented the 3 counties of the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Growth & Expansion

1947

TCEC acquired 7 additional Panhandle towns in 1947.

1950s

In the early 1950s, the cooperative began building distribution lines to those rural areas of the Oklahoma Panhandle without power.

Cimarron County was added to the service territory in 1953.

Modern Improvements & New Programs

2006

In August 2006, the cooperative acquired the remaining parts of the Oklahoma Panhandle and extended its reach into Texas and Kansas with the acquisition of service territory from Xcel Energy.

2015

In June 2015, TCEC became the first utility in Oklahoma to launch a community solar project.

In August 2015, the cooperative moved into its new headquarters.

2016

Community Solar subscriptions became available to members in March 2016.

Growth in the number of employees and kilowatt-hour sales led to the need for a new facility that would house all the cooperative’s people and assets in a single location.

GridLiance acquired approximately 40 miles of TCEC’s transmission assets in 2016.

2019

FEMA rebuild started in 2019 and is expected to continue for 4 years.

2020

In 2020, TCEC celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Also in 2020, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected lives and disrupted business.

2021

New programs and scholarships were added in 2021, with the Operation Round Up program launching in January.

The TCEC Board Advisory Collegiate Delegate Program and Scholarship were established in May.

Major Storms

The cooperative’s system has been decimated by significant ice storms at least 4 times in its history, during the years 1957, 1979, 2006/2007, and 2017.

TCEC lost about 5,000 poles due to both 2017 storms.

The February 2021 weather event, also called the Deep Freeze or Winter Storm Uri, caused rotating outages and significant damage to TCEC’s wholesale power provider, Golden Spread Electric Cooperative.