Iowa electric cooperative linemen join international project to power a brighter future in rural Guatemala

In June, 14 electric cooperative linemen from Iowa and Minnesota teamed up to complete a rural electrification project in rural Guatemala made available through NRECA International, which is affiliated with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Since 1962, NRECA International has brought electricity to more than 220 million people throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Guatemala project was coordinated by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) and the Minnesota Rural Electric Association.

The electric co-op linemen (7 from Iowa and 7 from Minnesota) were selected from volunteers to journey to the small village of Las Peñas in southeastern Guatemala with the mission to build primary and secondary electric distribution infrastructure and wire more than 30 homes with electric outlets and light sockets. Mountainous terrain at an elevation of 6,000 feet above sea level, rainy conditions and a lack of modern equipment made the two-week project challenging at times. 

The daily journey from the nearby city of Jalapa, where the linemen stayed in a hotel, to Las Peñas took over an hour by vehicle via primitive, narrow dirt roads and switchbacks. During the rainy season, the dirt roads quickly become washed out and impassable by vehicles. Near the end of the project, they had to hike the arduous final mile on foot every day.

Las Peñas is only about 15 miles from the bustling city of Jalapa as the crow flies, but lifestyles in these two locations are vastly different.

“Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you’re at a campground with the smell of wood burning. Now add the smell of the livestock barns from the county fairgrounds and the smell of tortillas cooking – that’s what it was like to be in Las Peñas,” explains Scott Meinecke, director of safety and loss control for IAEC, who traveled to the village near the completion of the project.

Most of the families of Las Peñas farm corn, coffee beans and other crops by hand and raise pigs and chickens. The women and girls stay close to home, cooking food and tending to household chores.

“Without electricity or reliable refrigeration, girls don’t have time to go to school; they are needed at home to help grind corn and cook every day. Bringing electricity to these rural villages is especially transformative for girls because they can now complete food prep chores on the weekends and store a week’s supply of food in a refrigerator, which means they can go to school and receive an education,” Meinecke says.

Before the linemen arrived, no power lines were serving the village. Villagers helped the local municipal utility set poles for the team, and they got to work immediately stringing primary wire across 3.5 miles of distribution infrastructure. Without modern equipment like bucket trucks, all the work had to be completed by hand.

Mike Berkenpas of North West REC says many of the spans in the mountains were 1,000 feet or more between poles because of the unbelievably steep terrain. For context, spans between poles in Iowa are set to a standard of approximately 200 feet. Bailey Bautsch of Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative was impressed with how the villagers helped the linemen pull up the wire and carried tools during the project.

The rain was challenging throughout the project, prompting the team to be thankful for the maintained roads back home.

“When it rains, you can’t get to the village without walking. The road is only built for tractors, horses and mules, and it was built 3 weeks before we got here,” explains Hunter Venz of Prairie Energy Cooperative. 

When the linemen finished wiring more than 30 homes for electricity, it was time to celebrate.

“June 18 was supposed to be the inauguration and lighting ceremony; however, we finished a few days early, so we loaded up water filters and the things we bought for the villagers to help make their lives easier. We met them about halfway down the mountain since driving on the road was still too dangerous. We had a small ceremony on the road and thanked them for all their help over the past days we were onsite,” shares Brian Reidy of East-Central Iowa REC.

“Their mayor gave a speech, thanking all who were involved in the long process to get power to the village over the past several years. We handed out the things we brought and said our goodbyes, loaded the remaining gear and headed back up and off the mountain for the last time. What a memorable and humbling experience – I’m not sure words could ever articulate what we experienced.”

Special thanks to these Iowa linemen who volunteered for the project:

• Jason Donnelly of Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative
• Brian Reidy of East-Central Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative
• Andy Koopmann of Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative
• Bailey Bautsch of Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative
• Tanner Dreier of Midland Power Cooperative
• Mike Berkenpas of North West Rural Electric Cooperative
• Hunter Venz of Prairie Energy Cooperative
• IAEC representative: Scott Meinecke

Click here to watch a video of the Guatemala project.

For More Information:

Erin Campbell
IAEC Director of Communications