Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative

Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative, Inc. (JNEC) is a member-owned rural electric utility headquartered in Buna, Texas. It was formed on June 7, 1943, to bring electric service to the rural areas of Jasper and Newton counties, and it remains a cooperative owned by the members it serves. The cooperative distributes electricity across five East Texas counties — Jasper, Newton, Orange, Angelina, and Sabine — and today serves more than 17,500 members over roughly 3,388 miles of line, with about 24,180 meters in service. JNEC operates as a non-profit electric distribution cooperative rather than an investor-owned utility. Its members elect a board of directors from geographic districts, and the cooperative provides services such as outage reporting, online bill payment, e-billing, a mobile app (MyJNEC), and energy-efficiency education. Because its territory includes the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast region of East Texas, JNEC places emphasis on storm preparedness, outage management, and electrical safety. The cooperative's stated guiding principle is "Concern for Community," reflecting its origins in rural electrification and its ongoing role in the communities it serves. It is a small but established utility brand in the East Texas region, known primarily through its member services, community involvement, and reliability efforts rather than through commercial product marketing.

Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative was formed on June 7, 1943, for the purpose of building electric service to the rural areas of Jasper and Newton counties in East Texas. The first meeting of the incorporators and directors was held on June 9, 1943, where a copy of the Articles of Incorporation from the Secretary of State's office was presented and approved. On June 11, 1943, a special meeting was called to present loan documents from the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to finance the construction and operations of an electric generating plant and electric distribution and service lines in Buna, Texas. At the end of 1943, Jasper-Newton EC serviced 196 members and 60 miles of line. By 1948, the cooperative had grown to 2,799 members across Jasper, Newton, Orange, and Angelina counties. In 1953, after ten years of progress, membership had increased to 5,239 members and 1,330 miles of line. Today, Jasper-Newton EC serves more than 17,500 members and maintains 3,388 miles of line in five counties — Jasper, Newton, Orange, Angelina, and Sabine. The cooperative reports approximately 24,180 meters and five counties served. Its stated driving force, from its humble beginnings to the present, is "Concern for Community" — the concern for improving the quality of life for the current generation and the many generations to come. The cooperative emphasizes that it is vested in seeing its communities thrive and flourish because its people live in the communities they serve.

• 1953

  Reached 5,239 members and 1,330 miles of line after ten years.

• 1948

  Grew to 2,799 members in Jasper, Newton, Orange, and Angelina counties.

• 1943

  Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative formed on June 7 for rural electrification in Jasper and Newton counties.

• 1943

  First meeting of incorporators and directors held June 9; Articles of Incorporation approved.

• 1943

  Special meeting June 11 presented REA loan documents to finance construction in Buna, Texas.

• 1943

  By year-end, serviced 196 members and 60 miles of line.

• Today serves more than 17,500 members and maintains 3,388 miles of line in five counties.

Member-owned rural electric cooperative focused on community concern, reliability, and member services in East Texas.

• Electricity distribution

  Distribution of electric power to residential, commercial, and industrial members in five East Texas counties.

• MyJNEC mobile app

  Mobile application for account management and member services.

• E-bill

  Electronic billing option for members.

• Outage Center

  Online resource for outage reporting and storm preparedness.

• Concern for Community
• Hurricane Season Preparedness
• Together We Save

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