Kit Carson Electric Cooperative

Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Inc, is a rural electric utility based in Taos, New Mexico and was founded in 1934. It is managed and governed by a board of trustees, under direction of CEO-Luis A. Reyes Jr. Kit Carson Electric Cooperative serves nearly 30,000 members and is the second largest member owned cooperative in the State of New Mexico. It voluntarily has implemented solar generation into its portfolio which encompasses 10% of it's overall capacity. Additionally, as a means to better serve its memberships needs and create price sustainability and diversification within its membership service area, Kit Carson Electric also owns a propane division known as Kit Carson Energy and also owns a broadband and telecommunications division known as Kit Carson Technologies. In 2011 Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Inc, was awarded a $63.8M Fiber to the Home (FTTH) grant /loan combination. $44M USDA Grant and $19.8M RUS Loan to develop and implement fiber to every member it serves in Northern New Mexico. Following a true Cooperative model to serve the under served and un-served, Kit Carson Electric along with Kit Carson Technologies as of May 2015 is 98% complete with FTTH deployment. This deployment encompasses over 2,951 square Miles of direct fiber, which will serve 29 communities, nearly 20,500 households, 3,600 businesses, and 183 critical community institutions as well as two Native American Pueblos. Additionally, Kit Carson Electric Cooperatives fiber deployment will greatly increase efficiency within its electric grid allowing full utilization of "meter modernization" also known as smart metering. This will help to aid in managing peak loads and more importantly allowing fiber to play a crucial role in the offsetting of increasing electric rates through fiber membership sales, ultimately allowing members to re-invest in their cooperative. Kit Carson Electric Cooperative is "Owned by those we serve".