Colorado’s electric cooperatives are joining with electric co-ops from Oklahoma and NRECA International to extend electric power to two small villages seven hours northeast of Guatemala City this fall.
The project, a first for the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the co-ops’ trade association, is in the planning stage. This month, a team is meeting with officials from the local utility in Guatemala to outline exactly what the project will entail. They are looking at how many power poles and how much line will be needed to extend the reach of the current electric grid to the communities of San Marta and Las Brisas and the 75 households in those two villages. Then, the number of lineworkers needed to complete this project and the time needed will be determined.
Next September or October, selected lineworkers from CREA’s member cooperatives throughout the state will join lineworkers from Oklahoma and spend two to three weeks in Guatemala completing the project. When they leave to return to the United States, it is expected that the 75 households in San Marta and Las Brisas and their community facilities will have electricity, thanks to this international project.