GREENVILLE, North Carolina (October 7, 2020) – The Greenville – ENC Alliance is proud to recognize Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC) during National Public Power Week and Public Natural Gas Week for its efforts year-round to serve the Greenville community.
The national awareness celebration runs annually during the first week of October. Public power utilities are not-for-profit, community-owned, and locally controlled. According to the American Public Power Association, North Carolina is one of the nation’s leaders in public power and GUC is the 45th largest public power utility in the United States and the second largest in North Carolina. Statistics show that GUC’s reliability rates are among the top 10 percent nationwide.
“GUC being a public utility that is community-owned is important to our businesses and our community. It means that the utilities are working for our community and not for shareholders who live around the world,” said GUC General Manager Tony Cannon. “We return profits to our community in many ways, like reinvesting in infrastructure that provides job opportunities for our citizens and economic development for the whole region.”
With that commitment to growth and community involvement, GUC is a Sustaining Investor in the Greenville – ENC Alliance, a public-private partnership focused on economic development.
“That reinvestment ensures we have a safe and reliable system to serve the needs of our current customers as well as having the capacity to serve new customers now and in the future,” said Cannon.
Utility solutions through GUC serve as the foundation for growth in the Greenville area. This includes providing low and competitive rates. Lower than most utility providers in the region, rates are usually below the median when compared to other public-owned, member-owned, and for-profit companies. In addition to low-cost utilities, GUC also offers excess capacity of electricity, natural gas, water, and wastewater treatment.
“These rates and availabilities are appealing for new industries and businesses looking to relocate to the Pitt County area,” said Greenville – ENC Alliance President and CEO Steve Weathers. “Businesses can count on GUC to deliver outstanding transmission throughout the region quickly and inexpensively.”
Customers across the GUC service area value the utility’s focus on serving the community and helping businesses grow while increasing profitability of the region.
“People in this community are the ones making decisions in the best interest of the community,” said Cannon. “It gives our customers direct access to decision-makers.”
North Carolina operates the ninth largest number of public power utilities and serves the ninth largest number of customers nationwide. Governor Roy Cooper issued a proclamation to bring attention to the work and service of the public power utilities across the state. In the statement, the Governor adds that “public power utilities are valuable community assets that contribute to the well-being of the community and provide economic development opportunities.”
Public Power Week and Public Natural Gas Week both started on Sunday, October 4, 2020 and run through Saturday, October 10, 2020.
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Media Relations Contact: Maria Satira
Director of Marketing and Communications
Greenville - Eastern North Carolina Alliance
satira@encalliance.com
252-414-2875
