Construction on a new corporate headquarters for Marlboro Electric Cooperative (MEC) and Marlboro Development Team (MDT) is on schedule as the steel-framed structure rises along State Highway 9 east of Bennettsville, approximately 1.5 miles north of the electric utility’s existing location. MDT is the for-profit, commercial/industrial real estate development subsidiary of MEC.
The electric cooperative and development team have outgrown their existing facility, both physically and regulatory, as the new headquarters will now be fully compliant with North American Electric Reliability Corporation regulatory standards that ensure the reliability and security of the nation’s bulk power system. NERC compliance is required for future voltage and electric load expansions, along with correct reliability and security standards.
“Our new facility will serve as headquarters for both MEC and MDT and has been and will be paid for by profits earned by MDT from successful ventures beyond the cooperative’s territory,” explained President and CEO William L. Fleming.
Chairman of both MEC and MDT Bo McInnis also stated, “Our MEC members will not be charged one penny for the new corporate office, but will have an enormous equity asset that didn’t have to be paid for in their rates.”
Another added benefit of the new facility is that beginning April 2018, the MEC Annual Meeting will be held at the new operations center currently under construction.
In the years past, Marlboro County High School has hosted the annual membership gathering, but the size of the membership has increased to where meeting attendance has exceeded the school’s capacity.
Additionally, the new facility will be designed to house neighboring service crews along with the SC National Guard, MEC’s system restoration partners during hurricanes or other major storms.
The new operations center can and will perform as a regional hub for emergencies and will accommodate more than 100 service people at the facilities on-site, thus prioritizing MEC’s members and community during disastrous conditions.
Construction on the new building is expected to be completed by the end of third-quarter 2018.
