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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