neighboring states. Today, KAMO serves nine Oklahoma electric distribu- tion cooperatives in northeast Oklahoma and eight cooperatives in south- west Missouri. KAMO is one of six G&Ts that own Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), based in Springfield, Mo. Today, the entire power supply that services KAMO’s member systems is generated by AECI. AECI was formed in 1961 to provide G&Ts wholesale power supply. The cooperative has a generation capacity of 5,895 megawatts. It supplies 51 local electric cooperatives in Missouri, Iowa, and Oklahoma serving about 875,000 customers. The cooperative owns coal, natural gas and oil-fired generating plants in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas. In 2012, coal ac- counted for 75 percent of the power it produced, while natural gas ac- counted for 14 percent. In addition, hydropower accounted for 5 percent, wind for 5 percent, and 1 percent came from other power suppliers. Cariker, who has been with KAMO since 1996, is confident both KAMO and AECI are well positioned for future challenges in the industry. He formerly served as general manager of Cookson Hills Electric
Cooperative, a distribution co-op based in Stigler, Okla., a position he earned at age 28. He had no plans to work in the utility industry, but when he and his wife moved to northeastern Oklahoma, the couple began inquir- ing in the community about what good jobs were available. He was on the hunt, and, according to Cariker, he certainly found a treasure. “Even after 35 years in the electric utility industry, I still don’t feel like I have a job,” Cariker says. “I always feel I’m on a mission, working for rural
people. I love working with rural people and love their qualities. It never gets old.” Like other cooperative leaders, Cariker is mindful that the cost of compli- ance with new environmental regulations ultimately falls into the pockets of consumers. “KAMO has to work extensively with agencies like the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Services, the EPA, and other federal and state agencies,” Cariker says. “Some of our technicians in the field spend much of their time working to comply with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s guidelines and regulations.” Cariker believes AECI is well situated with its generation portfolio, half of which currently comes from coal and half from natural gas. “We are poised to meet all standards. We comply with all the regulations
today,” Cariker says. “We produce electricity with coal, very economically. We try not to have a passion for the type of fuel, but for the cheapest and most reliable power for the member who’s paying the bill. If we’re truly focused on controlling cost, then we truly care.” KAMO takes pride in providing its electric distribution cooperatives with transmission, distribution and communications services. The latter is pos- sible through an investment the cooperative has made in fiber optics tech- nology, bringing Internet services to all 17 of its members. This technology also enables member-systems to effectively maintain automated meter read- ing and pre-pay services, among other communication needs.
Continued on Page 20
To find out more about the generation and transmission cooperative that serves your distribution cooperative, visit: Western Farmers:
www.wfec.com / KAMO Power:
www.kamopower.com / Golden Spread:
www.gsec.coop
OCTOBER 2013
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