Little Rock, Arkansas — October 5, 2022 — Since 2013, Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas linemen have traveled to Central America to build power lines and deliver electricity to more than 1,700 rural Bolivians and Guatemalans. On October 6, 15 electric cooperative linemen will travel to Guatemala to provide electric service to more than 300 villagers who have never had electricity.
“During the mission, electric cooperative linemen from Arkansas will work with EMRE, a municipal electric utility, to expand service to rural areas including Santa Martha communities that are located near the Mexico border,” said Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, president/CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. “The Arkansas linemen’s primary project is to build approximately 4.3 miles of power lines that will provide multiple connections to homes, huts, a school and a church.”
The project area is humid and agriculturally based. Produce crops in the village area include corn, beans, rice, coffee, tea, cacao, pepper, cardamom and other agricultural products.
According to Hasten, the new power lines will help improve the quality of life to rural Guatemalans just like rural Americans experienced in the 1930s and 40s in the United States.
“As we have seen and experienced in our blessed nation, the quality of life that electricity brings is beyond measure,” he said. “Each of the electric cooperative linemen are honored to volunteer to help make the world brighter for current and future generations in Guatemala.”
Linemen and their respective cooperatives participating in the three-week mission project are: Kenneth Byrd with Arkansas Valley Electric of Ozark; Terry Harkey and Garrett Robinson with Craighead Electric of Jonesboro; Matt Wilder and Clint McNeely with First Electric of Jacksonville; Jay Jones with North Arkansas Electric of Salem; Richard Freeland with Ouachita Electric of Camden; Chase Hathorn and Bryar Burks with Ozarks Electric of Fayetteville; Steve Howard and Jamie Reeves with Petit Jean Electric of Clinton; Dakota Vickers, Tell Burney and Todd Spakes with Southwest Arkansas Electric of Texarkana; and Sam Lockhart with Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. of Little Rock.
NRECA International is coordinating the project.
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas comprise 17 electric distribution cooperatives, Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI), a Little Rock-based cooperative that provides services to the distribution cooperatives and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC), a generation and transmission cooperative. The distribution cooperatives provide electricity to approximately 600,000 homes, farms and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.
For additional information, contact:
Rob Roedel, Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, (501) 570-2296 or email Rob.