Upshur Rural
Electric Cooperative
Serving East Texans
since 1937.
Outage Updates: .
At this time, there are no updates to share.
URECC Members – Please Read
Texas House Bill 3448 (HB 3448) is currently being considered and could directly affect URECC and our members if passed.
Here’s what the bill would do:
-Require electric cooperatives to provide access to our poles for cable and broadband companies
-Allow the Texas Public Utility Commission to set the rates and terms for those attachments, based on federal FCC guidelines
-Remove the ability for co-ops and telecom companies to negotiate contracts on pricing or timelines
-Shift certain costs to co-op members, including:
-Replacing or upgrading poles for telecom attachments
-Installing larger poles when needed for new developments or public projects
-Engineering and design work related to pole sizing
-Require co-ops to share accounting records with telecom companies, without requiring the same in return
-Allow telecom companies’ work to be prioritized over co-op service requests
-Increase risk to private property from third-party contractors, with limited options for recourse
HB 3448 would change how co-ops operate and how costs are shared. If you have concerns about this bill, we encourage you to contact your local State Representative and Senator.
Thank you for staying informed and involved.
-Representative Drew Darby (carrying the bill)
Email: drew.darby@house.texas.gov
-Representative Jay Dean
Email: jay.dean@house.texas.gov
-Representative Cole Hefner
Email: cole.hefner@house.texas.gov
-Senator Bryan Hughes
***URECC MEMBERS IN THE LAKE O' THE PINES, VICTORY, JEFFERSON, NESBITT, HARLETON, SHADY SHORES, HALL, GETHSEMANE, AVINGER & DARCO AREAS***
Starting next week, our contractor, Penn Tree Service, will begin trimming and mulching around transmission lines. While initial work will begin next week, crews will continue operations in these areas throughout the remainder of 2025.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Member Services team at 903-843-2536.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
Power Cost Recovery Factor- Explained
Unmute the video below to hear a complete explanation of PCRF in our Member Services Podcast.
Click below to view the video of CEO Rob Walker's explanation of PCRF
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When fuel prices rise, it costs Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative and East Texas Electric Cooperative more to produce electricity and some of those costs are passed through to Upshur Rural and its members by an increase in the PCRF, or Power Cost Recovery Factor.
The Power Cost Recovery Factor for Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative is adjusted on a monthly basis. The PCRF is the rate component that is a direct reflection of the fluctuating cost of fuel required to run an electric generation plant.
Since URECC is a distribution cooperative, we purchase our wholesale power from two generation and transmission cooperatives, North Texas Electric Cooperative and East Texas Electric Cooperative.
One way to think about PCRF is to compare it to the cost of gasoline for your car. Even though your monthly car payment (the rate) hasn't gone up, the car you drive is costing more to operate now because just as fuel prices have risen, for generated electricity, so have gasoline prices at the pump (the PCRF).
Increases in fuel prices do not just affect URECC, NTEC, or ETEC - nearly every electric utility in the nation is facing this same issue. The demand for electric generation continues to increase. As we all know, with demand high and supplies lower, the price is going to rise.
To minimize the impact of this charge on our members, every attempt is made to "level" the PCRF monthly, rather than to pass on the sometime extreme monthly fluctuations from our wholesale supplier. However, significant changes in fuel charges may make it necessary to adjust the PCRF.
The main advantage of monthly changes in the PCRF is that it is more responsive to changes in fuel costs. If fuel costs go down our members are not stuck with a higher cost indefinitely. Investor-owned utilities, such as SWEPCO or TXU, can only make rate adjustments for changes in fuel costs twice annually and must gain approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas to do so. This means their fuel cost adjustments may remain higher for their customers for a longer period of time.
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