Powering Beyond Borders: Oklahoma partners with Iowa and Colorado to bring first-time electricity to Guatemalan village
The Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives is pleased to announce a partnership with the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives and the Colorado Rural Electric Association to bring first-time access to electricity to a remote village in Guatemala in fall 2026.
The electrification project is possible through the coordination of NRECA International, the philanthropic arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association based in Arlington, Virginia.
Volunteer linemen from Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives as well as cooperatives in Iowa and Colorado will build powerlines and wire homes in the village of Pacheco, which is located in the region of Guastatoya, the capital city of the Department of El Progresso, about 2 hours northeast of Guatemala City.
The project will be an expansion of service to the local municipality Empresa Electrica Municipal de Guastatoya.
The statewide associations are sending a delegation in a planning trip at the end of March to assess logistics for the project.
Planning trip delegates are:
- Justin Marsh, OAEC Safety & Loss Control Instructor, Team Leader
- Lance Shaw, OKL Field Editor
- Anna Politano, OAEC Director of PR & Communications
- Scott Meinecke, Director of Safety & Loss Control, IAEC
- Julie Baker, Director of Member Services, CREA
- Ingrid Hunsicker, NRECA International
“We’re excited to partner with Iowa and Colorado to bring hope and power to this remote village. We are grateful for NRECA International’s leadership and guidance with this project,” says OAEC CEO/General Manager Nicki Fuller. “Access to electricity will bring economic empowerment, better access to health care and enhanced safety for these villagers. This mission reinforces our commitment to empower generations by improving quality of life for local communities at home and abroad.”
From left to right: Jimmy Taylor, Oklahoma Energy Trails Foundation Chair, Leslie Kaufman, General Manager of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, Jose Herrera, Mayor of Guastatoya, Guatemala, Anna Politano, OAEC Director of PR & Communications, Nicki Fuller, OAEC CEO/General Manager, Todd Schroeder, CEO of Indian Electric Cooperative based in Cleveland, Okla. and Energy Trails Endowment Fund Committee member at NRECA International’s luncheon during NRECA’s PowerXchange.
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About OAEC: The Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC) is a statewide association created and voluntarily supported by local electric distribution and generation & transmission cooperatives. OAEC is comprised of 30 member systems: 27 distribution electric cooperatives (two of which are headquartered in Arkansas) and 3 generation & transmission electric cooperatives (one of which is headquartered in Texas). Learn more at oaec.coop
Media Contact:
Anna Politano, Director of Public Relations & Communications, Okla. Assn. of Electric Co-ops
Phone: 405-761-0289
E-mail: apolitano@oaec.coop