RIO GRANDE ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE, Inc.
Eagle Ford
Consortium Conference
April 22, 2014
Topics
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About Rio Grande Electric Cooperative
Service territory as related to Eagle Ford region
Local area offices and contact information
General electrical services offered
Typical electrical services for oil & gas industry
Business information and process
Challenges faced serving the Eagle Ford Shale
Rio Grande Electric Cooperative
• “Owned by Those We Serve”
• Organized: 1945
• Headquarters: Brackettville, Texas - Kinney County
• Service Territory: 35,000 sq. miles along Rio Grande River
• Memberships: 6,222 members with 12,950 meters
• Meter Density: 1.34 average meters per mile of line
Rio Grande Electric Cooperative
• RGEC provides electric service to:
– 18 counties in Texas
– 2 counties in New Mexico
– 3 delivery points to Mexico along Rio Grande River
Rio Grande Electric Cooperative
Texas Service Territory
Rio Grande Electric Cooperative
• Major Facilities:
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143 miles of self serving transmission line
9,775 miles of overhead distribution line
155 miles of underground distribution line
18 substations
4 substations located in Eagle Ford Shale region:
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Eagle Pass (Rosita Creek)
Carrizo Springs
Crystal City
Brundage
• RGEC also owns and operates 2 privatized military
electrical distribution systems:
– Ft. Bliss (El Paso)
– Laughlin AFB (Del Rio)
Rio Grande Electric Cooperative
• Eagle Ford Shale counties served:
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Edwards
Maverick
Zavala
Dimmit
Webb
Rio Grande Electric Cooperative
• Area offices are located in:
– Alpine
– Brackettville (HQ & office for Edwards county)
– Carrizo Springs (main office for Eagle Ford Shale region)
– Dell City
– El Paso
– Ft. Stockton
RGEC Area Office
for
Main Eagle Ford Shale Region
Carrizo Springs Area Office
3204 Valley Street
P.O. Box 125
Carrizo Springs, Texas 78834
Telephone: (830) 876-2513
Toll Free: 1-(800) 460-0674
Fax: (830) 876-2087
Ken Buscher
Area Operations Manager
RGEC Electrical Services
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General Single & Three Phase Service
Residential
Seasonal / Recreational
Water Wells / Irrigation
Temporary & Stand-By Power
Area Lighting
RioNet Satellite Internet Service
RGEC Electrical Services
Typical for OIL and GAS INDUSTRY
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Temporary Construction Power
RV Parks & “Man Camps”
Oil Pipeline Valves
Pipeline Cathodic Protection
Large Power (loads > 50 KW)
– Oil Well Pumping
– Oil Pipeline Booster Pump Station
– Gas Compressor Station
RGEC Electrical Services
For OIL and GAS INDUSTRY
Major Large Power Requirements
• Primary Metering Stations
– Typically 14.4/24.9 KV Three-Phase
– Some of EFS area may be 7.2/12.47 KV 3Ø
• Substation
– Express Distribution Feeder to Major Load
– Step-Down Substation to Desired Voltage
• Wholesale Transmission Service
RGEC Business Information
• Website: www.rgec.coop
– Bylaws
– Tariff
– Rate Schedule
– Service Area Maps
– Area Office Locations
– Distributed Generation Manual
RGEC Service Request Process
• Become member of the Cooperative
– File Membership Application
– $5 Membership Fee
– Establish Credit
• New Service Request
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$250 Application Fee
Certificate of Tax Exemption (if applicable)
Certificate of Compliance (from local county)
Designate Account Representative (DR)
Provide copy of property deed(s) involved
Grant or obtain easements for power line ROW
Challenges RGEC faces serving large
Eagle Ford Shale loads
• Existing capacity limited: power lines/capacity is sparse some areas
• Piecemeal load service requests – understanding the “big picture” (ie,
longer term load requirements) will facilitate better analysis and planning
• ROW confusion: Actual property owner has to grant easement for
RGEC power lines – NOT the entity with surface agreement
• DIG-TESS response: need prompt and accurate pipeline locating
• Security concerns: for personnel working in remote areas near border
• “Hunting season”: can limit field engineering activities and impact
power line construction schedules – causing delays for service
• “Last minute service requests”: make contact with utility early for ROM
assessment of service requirements, service territory verification, etc.