Pioneer Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Pioneer Electric) announced its intent to acquire electrical distribution service territory owned by the City of Hugoton. Pioneer expects the transition to take effect late summer 2026.
“We are humbled by the trust expressed by the city in this decision,” said Lindsay Campbell, Pioneer Electric CEO. “Our hope is that this opportunity acts as a benefit for both the community of Hugoton and Pioneer Electric. We appreciate the opportunity to grow the cooperative and, in return, serve as a community partner by providing safe, reliable, and affordable electrical service.”
Pioneer Electric currently serves members in 10 counties in southwest Kansas, including portions of rural Stevens County and the town of Moscow. The cooperative has been assisting the city with the maintenance of its electrical infrastructure over the past year and previously helped coordinate its advanced metering
infrastructure for utilities.
“In serving Stevens County, we’ve always felt a connection to the community of Hugoton,” said Campbell. “Students at the school have been winners of our scholarships and youth trips, we’ve given grants for civic opportunities, and have participated in community events such as parades and livestock auctions. Now we get the opportunity to offer that same commitment at a service level.”
Pioneer Electric will work with the city to share information regarding the transition of service; those serviced by the city, who are not already members of Pioneer Electric, will have to register as members. Campbell explains that notices will be provided to impacted customers along with information for registration and a timeline for completion.
“We want to ensure that this is a smooth process for Hugoton citizens,” said Campbell. “Our customer service team is planning to coordinate membership signup days in Hugoton to assist in the transfer. This will serve as an opportunity to ask questions and meet our staff. In the interim, customers will continue to pay the city for their electrical service.”
Pioneer Electric is developing a work plan for improvements to Hugoton’s distribution system and plans to carry out items like tree trimming and system inventory soon. Pioneer also plans to engineer and construct a second electric transmission line in to Hugoton, delivering reliable redundancy in the case of inclement weather or equipment failure.
Headquartered in Ulysses, Kansas, Pioneer Electric is a distribution cooperative owned and controlled by its members. Pioneer Electric serves approximately 16,300 retail electric meters across 10 counties in southwestern Kansas. The system is made up of more than 4,000 miles of powerlines and 21 substations. All of Pioneer Electric’s electricity is procured by Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, which is owned by Pioneer Electric and five other Kansas electric co-ops and one cooperative subsidiary. Pioneer Electric is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. Questions regarding the cooperative may be directed to its customer service team at 620-356-1211.