Umatilla Electric Cooperative is operated on a not-for-profit basis. Electric cooperatives, unlike investor-owned utilities, are owned by the members they serve. When you pay your electric bill, you are accumulating equity in your cooperative.
UEC members have recently received a statement in the mail detailing the previous year’s (2024) Capital Credits allocations and their Total Unretired Capital Credits to date. As a cooperative, UEC is owned by the members we serve. The Capital Credits Allocation Statement is a statement of your ownership within the cooperative. This statement is not a bill.
The amount reported is determined by the revenue received from your account, less our costs to provide you with service. If this number appears lower than previous years, please recognize that this can happen for a variety of reasons - such as low usage, seasonal accounts, or higher delivery costs - and it’s not unusual. Capital Credits are tracked by account and accumulate over time. Even if you move or stop service, your allocation remains in our records, and you’re eligible to receive retirements when they are issued.
In March of 2025, UEC’s Board of Directors retired or paid back to the member, Capital Credits totaling $4 million. In the history of UEC, nearly $135 Million in Capital Credits have been returned to the membership. For more details about Capital Credits, visit our Capital Credits page.
Umatilla Electric has returned nearly $135 million to members since the Capital Credits program begin in 1960.