Power Supply

Where does our electricity come from?

Community Electric Cooperative is a member-owner of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC). The Cooperative purchases a majority of its wholesale electricity from ODEC. The Cooperative also purchases a small portion of its wholesale requirements from the Southeastern Power Administration.

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative owns a portion of the North Anna Nuclear Plant and has 50% interest in a coal-fired power plant in Clover, Virginia. Additional power requirements for ODEC are met through wholesale power contracts with other utilities or power producers.

How do I get power?

Electricity can be produced in several ways, such as at plants that burn coal or natural gas, hydroelectric plants that use the force of rushing water, and nuclear plants that split atoms. The energy produced goes through a generator, which in turn makes electricity.

From the generator, the electricity is sent over transmission lines to a substation. A substation lowers the voltage so that it can be distributed to your home. From the substation, the electricity travels through distribution lines to a pole transformer. In places where lines are underground, a green pad mounted transformer is used to lower the voltage once again before the electricity enters your home.

What should I do if my lights go out?

How is service restored?

What should I do during an extended outage?

What about the use of a generator?

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