Looking Back on 85 Years of Service

NewsThe Current Joe AlexanderPresident Looking back on 85 years of service, we do so with deep gratitude for Member-Owners, employees, trustees, and partners who have made this journey possible. What began in 1940 with a single substation in Point Milligan and 145 miles of energized line has now grown into a modern, interconnected system spanning 23 substations and 25 water systems across a 4-county service area - making us 1 of only a few electric Cooperatives in the nation to provide electricity, water, and wastewater services. As the network expanded, so did the ways we sourced power. In 1956, Talquin became a member of wholesale power provider, Seminole Electric Cooperative, and by 1957, began receiving hydropower from the Jim Woodruff Dam to support the growing demand for services. Today, Talquin continues to diversify energy sources with 3 solar facilities, reducing almost $400,000 in annual wholesale power costs and strengthening system reliability. Outage response has also evolved significantly. A system that once relied on phone books and landline calls has now been transformed by geographic information systems (GIS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology – programs that allow outages to be isolated, power lines and substations to be monitored, and crews to be dispatched within minutes instead of hours. Tracy BensleyGeneral Manager Looking ahead, our evolution continues to be a shared effort, placed in the hands of the Member-Owners we serve. Through smart thermostats, social media, outage reporting, and usage tracking on the myTalquin Member Portal (mobile app and web), Members are more capable than ever of managing energy usage and communicating with us from the tap of a button. It is worth remembering that when our rural founders banded together to form Talquin Electric Cooperative, they could not have imagined smart grids, solar facilities, web portals, or mobile apps. But they understood responsibility. They understood service. And they understood that Talquin exists not simply to deliver power, but to strengthen the quality of life in the communities we serve. As we honor our past and operate confidently in the present, Talquin remains committed to building and maintaining a safe, reliable, and affordable system that will serve many generations to come. It has been our privilege to power communities for over 85 years - and we know that we are just getting started. Thank you for being a part of our story. Talquin is proud to serve you in 2026 and beyond.