INTERNATIONAL ELECTRIFICATION
Powering a Brighter Future:
Las Peñas, Guatemala (June 2024)
In June 2024, 14 electric cooperative linemen from Iowa and Minnesota traveled to the rural village of Las Peñas in southeastern Guatemala for an NRECA International project. The team worked for 2 weeks to build out 3.5 miles of primary and secondary electric infrastructure (without the use of many modern tools) and wired over 30 homes for electricity. Each household also received a water filtration kit to help purify water.
Rainy conditions made daily travel difficult as the main dirt road to the village washed out. The linemen had to hike the final mile to the village most days and worked in mountainous terrain without the convenience of bucket trucks and other equipment they rely on back home. Once the village was hooked up for electric service, the local municipal utility was able to take over and provide power.
Learn more about the project and see videos and photos through our public Facebook page.
Read about this project in the October 2024 issue of Iowa Electric Cooperative Living magazine.
How does access to electricity power a brighter future?
Scott Meinecke, IAEC's director of safety, traveled to the village towards the completion of the project and shares one example. He learned that the girls in areas without electricity don't attend school because they spend much of their day preparing meals for the family. Without electricity, they have to grind the corn, collect wood for the fire, mix and cook the tortillas, beans, etc. This was an all-day process that would begin again the next day. With electricity, they can do these tasks in bulk over the weekend, which allows time for the girls to attend class. Food can now be refrigerated to prevent spoiling and waste.
Special thanks to these 7 Iowa linemen who volunteered for this project:
Jason Donnelly of Postville, IA
Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative
Brian Reidy of Independence, IA
East-Central Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative
Andy Koopmann of Wilton, IA
Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative
Bailey Bautsch of Anamosa, IA
Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative
Tanner Dreier of Iowa Falls, IA
Midland Power Cooperative
Mike Berkenpas of Le Mars, IA
North West REC
Hunter Venz of Clarion, IA
Prairie Energy Cooperative
Partners for a Brighter Tomorrow:
Salinas 7 Cerros, Guatemala (October 2019)
In October 2019, Iowa's electric cooperatives participated in their first international electrification project titled "Partners for a Brighter Tomorrow."
Working in conjunction with NRECA International, electric cooperatives from Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin joined forced to send a team of 12 linemen down to the rural village of Salinas 7 Cerros in north-central Guatemala. The group worked 12-hour shifts for 16 days in extreme conditions to build out infrastructure to electrify 42 households, a school, a health outpost and a church in the community.
Four linemen from Iowa electric cooperatives worked in Guatemala:
Mike Berkenpas of Orange City, IA
North West Rural Electric Cooperative
Quentin Fisher of Marion, IA
Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative
Mat Kilgore of Estherville, IA
Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative
Bob Ruby of Mount Pleasant, IA
Access Energy Cooperative
The 12-man crew installed 2.5 miles of line and two transformers on 45 poles erected across a mountainous, jungle-covered terrain without the use of high-tech equipment or advanced machinery. The villagers dug holes for the power poles, carried the poles to their specific locations and helped pull wiring to supply the power, all by hand. Each home was wired for lighting and outlets.
The villagers live in extreme poverty and didn’t have plumbing, running water or food refrigeration because they lacked access to electricity. They depend on farming to sustain them economically and produce corn, beans, cardamom seeds and other vegetables. Access to affordable, reliable electricity will improve safety and save these villagers money as they will no longer need to purchase candles, kerosene or batteries.
Before heading back home, the linemen presented each student in the village with a backpack containing supplies and new shoes and gave each household a water filtration bucket filled with supplies. The water filter will provide clean water for two years.
Chuck Soderberg, executive vice president and general manager of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, attended the lighting ceremony in the Guatemalan village which signified the end of the project and the beginning of electric service. “Bringing electricity to this remote area really takes us back to our cooperative roots of bringing opportunity to rural America in the 1930s and 40s,” remarked Soderberg. “It’s incredible to see how access to electricity improves quality of life and Iowa’s electric cooperatives are proud to be a part of this story.”