About Us Electricity first began to flow across the land in the 1930s. However, the prospect of electric service in the rural areas didn’t look very bright. Electric utilities already energizing the cities showed no interest in lighting the countryside. Then, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7035 establishing the Rural Electrification Administration and rural residents took matters into their own hands.  In Berkeley County, coordinated by the County Agent’s Office, six men stepped forward to undertake the task of forming an electric cooperative.    Each of the six had to convince 100 folks to pay the $5 membership fee in order to reach the 600-member minimum needed to incorporate. This fee was no small amount in the 1930s and in some cases Mr. J. Perry Peagler, one of the original six board members, would even pay the membership fee for those who couldn’t afford it.   On January 5, 1940, the articles of incorporation were signed and Berkeley Electric Cooperative (BEC) was formed.   From these humble beginnings, BEC has grown into a state-of-the-art electric utility serving over 80,000 accounts in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties with over 5,000 miles of line connecting them all together. This makes BEC the largest electric cooperative in South Carolina, and one of the top 25 in the nation.