OCR Text |
Show Statistical Highlights Rural electric systems serve about 10.5 million farms, homes, schools, churches, irrigation systems, commercial enterprises and other establishments in 2,600 of the 3,141 counties or county-type areas of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Although America's rural electric systems serve more than 25 milion people, they average fewer than 5 consumers per mile, and collect annual revenues of less than $4,500 per mile of line. Investor-owned utilities average 36.6 customers and collect $54,100 per mile of line annually, and publicly-owned utilities average 60 consumers and collect $67,700 per mile of line annually. A typical rural electric system is a consumer-owned cooperative, managed locally. It is about 40 years old, with 1,870 miles of line and 7,400 consumers in portions of three 'V- counties. Rural electric systems own and maintain more than half of the electric distribution lines in the United States, but own only about 3 percent of the nation's generating capacity. Rural electrics distribute about 7 percent of the nation's electricity, and serve about 10 percent of the population. Approximately 25 percent of the power distributed or transmitted by rural electric systems is purchased from commercial power sources. About 30 percent comes from such federal power sources as Bonneville Power Administration, the Ten-neiee Valley Authority (TVA) and the other public agencies. Rural electric generation and transmission systems produce about 45 percent of the electricity distributed by rural electric systems. Power needs in rural areas continue to grow as kilwatthour sales have moved upward in the 1980s, although at a slower pace than In previous . t yeara.Durlng the last three years, rural electric kilowatthour sales have increased at an annual rate of about 2 percent. Consumer growth of rural electric systems has also slowed from previous highs. During the last few years co-ops have added new consumers at an annual rate of 2.6 percent substantially below the 1970s average rate of 4.2 percent. In the year 1979, individual rural consumers reversed a 20-year trend of using more electricity, reducing their consumption by 2 percent. This trend has generally continued so that the average residential consumer on co-op lines is using about the same amount of electricity as the consumer of 6-7 years ago. This stabilization of use has occurred because of increases in electric rates coupled with rural electric systems' active involvement in conservation programs of many kinds, Including home weath-erization, energy audits, initiatives to meet peak period high demand for electric service with new technolgoy (load management) , and vigorous information programs emphasizing the wise use of electricity. Since 1961, area borrowers have helped start and expand more than 20,500 new commercial, industrial and community facility projects, producing nearly a million new jobs. During 1983 alone, community development projects in which REA borrowers took part resulted in . more than 39,032 new jobs. Rural electric systems themselves employed, as of the end of 1983, more , than 55,000 people. Electric operatives paid $332.1 million in state and local taxes in 1983. A cooperative's revenues over . and above operating expenses and debt service are credited to consumer-owners' accounts and periodically returned to consumers as patronage funds. |