OREMC celebrated its 85^th Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 14 with 485 registered members in attendance. Members were invited to take refreshments, visit information tables and enjoy entertainment provided by Darowyn Lee. The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m. with presentations by Board President Wayne Combs and General Manager John Middleton.

Mr. Middleton reviewed financials, talked about rates and the future of the energy industry. Relative to rates and reliability, he explained the $16,000,000 growth in electric plant this past year and the increased costs of labor and materials related to those expenses. Referencing the inflation graphic, he pointed to the more than doubling in costs over the past four years. While costs are stabilizing or decreasing slightly, they will never return to pre-pandemic prices.

Despite these cost increases, OREMC rates remain competitive relative to our sister co-ops in the state of Georgia and Georgia Power. Depending on usage and time of year, OREMC rates are 46 percent less than Georgia Power and 3.4 percent less than other electric co-ops. As Mr. Middleton said, “We have a good story to tell on rates.” He noted the data was available from the Georgia Public Service Commission website.

 A time of transition is how Mr. Middleton described the state of the energy industry. This is due to increased utilization of renewable generation resources and an assault on fossil fuel generation from a new EPA rule due to climate change concerns. He said if we go to large scale renewables as promoted by the federal government, it will not be a quick or inexpensive transition, and it will impact reliability and affordability. Driving the concerns— which you don’t hear about in mainstream media—are:

• The cost to capture carbon from fossil fuel plants, build pipeline and transport it to a geologically favorable location to sequester it.
• The use of land in rural areas to build large scale renewable generation and the tens of thousands of miles of transmission lines that would need to be built to transport the power to load centers around the country.
• The electrification of the transportation sector that will add additional demand for power.
• The money for all these initiatives will come from ratepayers’ pockets

“I want you to be aware of these initiatives and their implications if we fail to take a sensible approach,” Mr. Middleton stated. “And to know that we will continue to advocate on your behalf to ensure reliable and affordable power.”

The official business meeting wrapped up with the election of the following board directors to a three-year term: Wayne Combs, Baker County; Craig Morgan, Middle Brantley County; and Jimmy Woodard, West Brantley and Ware counties.