PEC breaks ground on Marble Falls operations center

Artist rendering of the new PEC Northwest Operations Center in Marble Falls.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

MARBLE FALLS — Pedernales Electric Cooperative officials helped the co-op enter a new phase as they broke ground March 7 for a $17 million Northwest Operations Center in Marble Falls.

The center, which will feature a two-story building with 27,000 square feet of office space, came about after an extensive facilities study and research into the growing trends across PEC’s service territory. Officials say the new facility will reduce the cooperative’s administrative and general costs by nearly $1 million annually.

“This facility is reflective of PEC’s growing membership as well as the changing needs of our members,” said PEC board president James Oakley. “It’s an exciting day and an important turning point for the cooperative.”

The new facility will be located at the intersection of U.S. 281 and Resource Parkway in Marble Falls. The operations center will include meeting and training room space in the main building. There will also be an 18,000 square-foot warehouse built on the 10-acre site.

The warehouse will have plenty of room for material inventory, covered storage and adjacent material yards, and a solar photovoltaic installation. Plus, the new safety training grounds will help ensure PEC’s line workers are fully equipped to safely serve members and restore power when necessary.

Officials say the center is expected to open sometime this summer.

“This operations center provides the co-op the opportunity to streamline costs and centralize functions such as lineman training, crew operations and enhanced services and experiences,” CEO John Hewa said. “PEC is committed to delivering top-notch services to its members, and that starts with retaining and attracting a highly responsive, educated and well-equipped workforce. We expect to maintain a reputation of service and reliability that our members have come to expect. PEC is working to connect outstanding employees with great tools and strong systems, and as we do this, our member-owners will experience the benefits.”

The new facility is designed to serve a rapidly growing membership. The cooperative serves more than 275,000 meters, and current growth trends show that number could swell beyond 400,000 by 2030.

Go to pec.coop/northwestoperations to learn more.

editor@thepicayune.com