Sawnee EMC (SEMC; founded as Forsyth County EMC) is an electrical generation and transmission
cooperative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...
founded in July 1938 and based in
Cumming, Georgia
Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States, and the sole incorporated area in the county. It is a suburban city, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In the 2020 census, the population is 7,318, up from 5,430 in 2010. Su ...
. , Sawnee EMC is the third-largest electric co-op in Georgia and the eighth-largest in the United States, operating 11,982 miles
of
power line
An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy across large distances. It consists of one or more uninsulated electrical cables (commonly multiples of three for three-p ...
s in seven counties: Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, and Lumpkin. It is a member of the
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) represents the interests of over 900 electric cooperatives in the United States. Cooperatives are not-for-profit and are owned by their membership. Founded in 1942, NRECA unites the count ...
and
Touchstone Energy.
Michael Goodroe is the president and CEO of Sawnee EMC.
History
After the
Rural Electrification Administration
The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. it is ...
was created in 1935, the Forsyth County Electric Membership Corporation was incorporated on July 16, 1938, and the co-op began providing electricity to about 750 homes via 163 miles of power lines on June22, 1939. Forsyth County EMC changed its name to Sawnee EMC in August 1950, taking its name from nearby
Sawnee Mountain. In 1974, Sawnee EMC was one of the dozens of Georgia-based EMCs that founded
Oglethorpe Power
Oglethorpe Power Corporation is a medium-sized electric utility in Georgia, United States. Formed in 1974, Oglethorpe is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by the 38 electric membership corporations that it serves. The utility's headquarters are i ...
,
and Sawnee was similarly a founding member of the
renewables
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
-focused Green Power EMC in 2001.
Board of directors
Sawnee EMC's board of directors is composed of nine elected members:
Foundation
Sawnee EMC operates the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation, which donates to schools and charities in its service area.
Since 2003, the foundation has given out $3.8 million.
References
External links
* {{official, https://www.sawnee.com
Electric cooperatives of the United States
Electric cooperatives in Georgia (U.S. state)
Electric generation and transmission cooperatives in the United States