Rappahannock Electric Co-op: Seven decades of providing power

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative has brought power to Culpeper area residents for more than 70 years.

According to REC spokesman Brian Wolfe, the cooperative, then known as Northern Piedmont Electric, moved into the building at top in August 1948. The site is still at the intersection of what is now Sunset Lane and Bus. 29. Purchased from the Saunders Estate, it was the location of the
Meadowbrook Farm, and later lent its name to the nearby Meadowbrook Shopping Center.

Northern Piedmont Electric joined with Virginia Electric Cooperative of Bowling Green in 1980 to form Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. Over the past three decades, development has surrounded the REC offices, leaving no room for expansion. Now, the cooperative is considering moving to a new site in town.

Today, REC is headquartered in Fredericksburg. It remains a member-owned company, providing electric service to more than 100,000 residential and
commercial customers in 16 counties, stretching from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the mouth of the Rappahannock River.