Central Rural Electric Coop

Central Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a nonprofit electric distribution cooperative owned by its Members. CREC was organized under the provision of the United States Rural Electrification Act and was incorporated on November 17, 1938 under the laws of the State of Oklahoma.

When CREC was first organized, it was called Central State Rural Electric Cooperative. "State" was officially dropped from the name in 1939.

CREC began as a stock corporation founded by ten local men. Five of the ten founders served as the Board of Trustees until the first annual meeting in February 1939. They borrowed $85,000 from the newly created Rural Electrification Administration (Now called Rural Utilities Service or RUS) to construct a rural distribution system that would provide electrical service to 141 farms and homes. Nineteen ninety-eight marked the 60th year that Rural Oklahomans have had this benefit. Before REA was created, only about 2% of the rural people nationwide had electricity.

Today, CREC has total plant assets in excess of $79 million and employ’s approximately 80 people. Every Member of CREC is an owner of this corporation.

CREC has nearly 4,000 miles of distribution line delivering electrical power to over 17,500 locations. The service area covers over 2,000 square miles and roughly extends 19 miles east, 30 miles west, 18 miles north, and 40 miles south of Stillwater. CREC’s service area includes parts of Garfield, Lincoln, Logan, Noble, Oklahoma, Pawnee, and Payne counties.

Gross-receipts taxes are paid every year by the Cooperative to the local school districts based on miles of line in each district. CREC paid $410,000 in gross-receipts taxes in 2003 to area schools.