Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) today committed to extend their wholesale power agreement until 2041.

A signing ceremony today officially sealed the long-term agreement, which will enable LCRA to continue to provide cost-based, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity to the cooperative until 2041. The Bandera Electric Cooperative Board of Directors approved the amended agreement on November 1, after staff and consultants evaluated competitive proposals from a variety of suppliers during the past year. The previous agreement, which could have expired as early as June 2016, required Bandera and LCRA to decide by June 2011 whether to continue the partnership beyond 2016.

“We have enjoyed our past association with LCRA,” said BEC General Manager/CEO Robert Waid. “That went a long way in our decision to solidify our relationship moving forward.”

LCRA has provided electric service to Bandera Electric Cooperative since 1953. LCRA supplies wholesale electricity to more than 40 cities and cooperatives, including Bandera.

“We are pleased that, following a thorough and comprehensive review of its options from the competitive wholesale power market, Bandera Electric Cooperative has chosen to continue its long-term relationship with LCRA,” said Tom Mason, LCRA general manager. “This agreement will build on our public power tradition, extending our commitment to work together on long-term decisions while also offering more flexibility and progressive power options for Bandera in the future.”

The agreement provides many benefits to the cooperative, including cost-based prices, flexibility to purchase up to 35 percent of its electricity needs from other suppliers, opportunities to participate as an owner in future power plant additions and purchased power agreements, direct input on actions that affect long-term prices and reliability, and various provisions that support the cooperative’s conservation and renewable energy goals.

LCRA serves 43 wholesale electric customers, primarily electric cooperatives and municipally owned electric utilities in Central Texas. With the addition of BEC, 33 customers have committed to continue their LCRA wholesale electric contracts until 2041.

About Bandera Electric Cooperative
Established in 1938, Bandera Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative located in Bandera, Texas. It provides electric service to over 31,000 meters in seven Hill Country counties, including Bandera, Bexar, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, Real and Uvalde. BEC owns approximately $143 million in assets, including equipment in 15 power substations and over 4,300 miles of line. The co-op has about 90 employees.

About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit conservation and reclamation district that provides energy, water, and community services to Texans. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, LCRA has no taxing authority and operates solely on utility revenues and service fees. LCRA supplies electricity to more than 1.1 million Texans through more than 40 wholesale customers. LCRA also provides many other services in the region. These services include managing floods, protecting the quality of the lower Colorado River and its tributaries, providing parks and recreational facilities, offering economic development assistance, operating water and wastewater utilities, and providing soil, energy, and water conservation programs.