Midnight on Jan. 1 not only signifies the start of a new year but also the birth of a new utility company.
As of Wednesday, Radiant Electric Cooperative of Fredonia and Lyon Coffey Rural Electric Cooperative will now be known as 4 Rivers Rural Electric Cooperative. The new entity is the product of a nearly two and half year effort by both companies to consolidate their services into one.
4 Rivers General Manager and CEO Dennis Svanes joined KVOE’s Talk of Emporia Monday morning to discuss the merger and the numerous benefits customers can expect to see. According to Svanes, the merger will bring estimated cost savings between seven to $10 million to customers over the next 10 years.
Svanes says these savings do not mean there will be no rate increases in the future, however, it means any increases will be lesser than before. In addition to the cost savings, Svanes says they will also have additional manpower as the companies combine their staff.
He says this is particularly beneficial for customers who may lose power during storms, much like the extensive, and long-lasting, power outage which developed back in August after a storm which brought wind gusts as high as 100 mph damaged a large portion of Lyon Coffey’s network.
4 Rivers serves roughly 7,000 customers with 12,500 meters stretching from just south of Topeka to the Oklahoma border. The merger will see all regional offices for Lyon Coffey remain in place, including the head office in Burlington.
For more information on 4 Rivers or for questions regarding your account contact them at 620-364-2116.
