Outage Map
Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) Serves Steady Growth & Existing Members’ Needs
By Brent Ten Pas
Electricity consumption grew 2% nationally in 2025 and is expected to increase another 3% in 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Numerous factors are at play: Suburban expansion with new, fully electric houses. Older homes retrofitted with electric heat pumps and water heaters. Millions of electric vehicles. The proliferation of data centers. Colder winters and hotter summers.
The story is the same in Central Oregon. During the past 5 years, Central Electric Cooperative has seen a 10.5% increase in total electric demand, with another 10% projected growth over the next 5 years.
CEC’s primary drivers are new residential neighborhoods, multiunit housing, commercial developments, and public facilities throughout its service territory.
Nowhere is this growth more visible than in southeast Bend. Deschutes County’s new Central Library—a 3-story, all-electric, 100,000-square-foot facility that includes EV charging stations—at Stevens Ranch serves as the focal point for the area. Surrounding it to the east are more than 1,400 new homes, with additional units planned.
Similar growth has occurred in northwest Redmond in the past 3 years, with nearly 1,000 new residences— a blend of single-family and multifamily dwellings—with more on the way.
This persistent upward trend has required the cooperative to strategically plan for the long term while simultaneously investing today in its electric system to serve both new and existing members.
“As growth accelerates across our service territory, CEC remains committed to staying ahead of the demand,” CEC President and CEO Brad Wilson says. “The new and ongoing capital projects we undertake this year help ensure we can welcome new economic development while enhancing the safety and reliability of the electric service we provide.”
New Substation & Major Transmission Line Upgrade: Strengthening the Backbone
After site selection, permit application, and public listening sessions in 2025, CEC will begin construction of a new substation in Stevens Ranch, scheduled to come online this fall.
Substations are the critical interface between the high-voltage transmission network and the local distribution system—essentially serving as bridges that allow power to flow efficiently and safely to homes and businesses.
Beyond building out its electric system to meet residential needs, CEC continues to invest in upgrades to its high-voltage transmission infrastructure—the backbone that carries electricity from its substations.
Plans are underway to upgrade an 18-mile stretch of transmission line from 69 kilovolts to 115kV, extending from Cline Falls to Bend in a multiyear project.
This large-scale project involves replacing aging wood poles with fire-resistant steel transmission poles and other components that have served the cooperative for decades.
The upgrades will increase transmission capacity, enabling CEC to deliver more power during peak demand periods and maintain higher levels of reliability. The upgraded system will withstand wind storms more effectively, reduce the likelihood of large-scale outages, and shorten restoration times.
System Investments: Reliability & Safety at the Core
CEC’s comprehensive strategy includes work each year to strengthen its distribution network. A critical component prioritizes the annual replacement of about 400 poles. These ongoing pole replacements help maintain the system’s physical integrity and reduce the risk of outages, particularly during severe weather.
In addition to overhead line improvements, CEC continues to replace aging underground distribution cables throughout its service territory. Many of these cables were installed decades ago, when industry standards allowed utilities—including electricity, telephone, and television—to bury their lines directly in the ground. Over time, extreme temperatures, moisture, and corrosion can prolong power outages, as crews must locate the fault, excavate, and replace damaged cable sections.
Since the 1990s, CEC’s standards have evolved, requiring power lines to be housed in conduit, which prolongs cable life and drastically reduces costs and outage time to locate faults and replace cables.
CEC has identified nearly 300 miles of direct-buried distribution lines to be replaced in conduit. To maximize the effective use of time, finances, and personnel, CEC prioritizes underground cable replacement projects based on the number and frequency of faults in the area.
Commitment to Members & Community
As a not-for-profit, member-owned utility, the cooperative works to ensure every dollar it invests—whether in poles, undergrounding cables, substations, or transmission lines—reflects its enduring commitment to enhancing the safety and reliability of the electricity it delivers to its members.