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April 6, 2026

Each year, Lineworker Appreciation Month gives us the opportunity to recognize the individuals who perform an essential — and often unseen — role in keeping our communities powered. At Pioneer Electric Cooperative, our lineworkers are on the front lines of delivering safe and reliable electricity to the homes, farms, schools, and businesses we serve. While most people simply flip a switch and expect the lights to come on, our lineworkers know the complex system and hard work that makes that possible. They build and maintain the infrastructure that powers daily life across our service territory, often working in challenging environments...

March 21, 2026

PARIS, OH – Pioneer Electric’s 90th Annual Meeting of Members took place on March 21, 2026, at Graham Elementary School, bringing together cooperative members to review the past year and look ahead to the future. The meeting was led by Board Chair Mark Bailey, who highlighted the cooperative’s continued focus on strong governance, member engagement, and long-term planning. He shared updates on a newly completed three-year strategic plan designed to guide Pioneer through an evolving energy landscape. Treasurer Roger Bertke reported that Pioneer received a clean audit for 2025 and returned $3 million in capital credits to more than 20,000...

February 13, 2026

Columbus, OH—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Buckeye Power’s coal-fired Cardinal Plant as one of six national projects to receive a share of $175 million in federal funding. Kyger Creek Station, which is part of the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC), and partially owned by Buckeye Power, Inc., was also named as a recipient. The DOE grant was established to modernize, retrofit and extend the operational life of coal-fired power plants serving rural communities while also supporting grid reliability and energy affordability. The funds will be directed toward critical upgrades for Cardinal Plant’s Units 1 and 2. The...

November 12, 2025

By: Jeff McCallister Last February, WKYC-TV in Cincinnati had a warning for its viewers: “Get ready, Ohio: Your energy bill will be higher this summer.” In April, an AEP Ohio official told WBNS-TV in Columbus that customers should expect their bills to jump by an average of $27 beginning in June. “Electricity price surge,” screamed a headline on Cleveland.com in late July, over a story that said Ohioans were seeing increases that averaged 10% to 15%. The story explained that a record-breaking auction in the wholesale electricity market last year had set higher prices for future supply, and that was...

October 1, 2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The President and CEO of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, Craig Grooms, was in Washington D.C. Monday to support plans to spur coal production and boost its use for more reliable, affordable, safe electricity generation. The Department of Energy announced it will invest $625 million to upgrade and keep open coal plants that planned to retire amid strict, costly EPA regulations that have since been loosened. The Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum also announced Monday plans to open 13.1 million acres of federal land for coal leases to expand coal-fired power generation to fuel the growth of artificial intelligence...

July 1, 2025

Electric cooperatives, like Pioneer, are rooted in the values of local engagement and member participation. The Co-ops Vote program, a nonpartisan initiative launched by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), continues that tradition by encouraging civic involvement and promoting awareness about the importance of voting. What is Co-ops Vote? Co-ops Vote is a grassroots campaign aimed at fostering civic engagement in rural and cooperative-served communities. The initiative helps cooperative members, employees, and boards understand how their participation in elections can directly impact the policies and decisions that affect your communities, especially in areas like infrastructure, energy, and rural development....