Story Contact: Cindy King
Phone: 678-455-1539
E-Mail: cindy.king@sawnee.com

SAWNEE EMC ANNOUNCES A SPECIAL RETIREMENT OF PATRONAGE CAPITAL

(Cumming, July 7, 2005)— Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation, as a member-owned cooperative, is preparing to refund, in a special retirement of patronage capital, to customers who were members in 1980 and 1981. This refund represents revenue in excess of operating costs for that period. The refund will be in the form of credits on billing statements of existing members who were members in 1980 and 1981. Former members who no longer have an active account will be mailed a check to their last known address.

Sawnee EMC posts on its Web site the names of individuals that we have been unsuccessful in contacting about past patronage capital refunds. To find out if you or someone you know has an unclaimed check, simply visit our Web site at www.sawnee.com. At the homepage click on “News and Events” then “Unclaimed Patronage Capital”. At this site you will also find a downloadable request form if you are eligible for past patronage capital. It is important to know that Sawnee EMC also refunds patronage capital to the estates of deceased members. If you do not have access to the internet or you are the executor of an estate, you should contact our Customer Service Center at 770-887-2363 to learn more about this program.

About Sawnee EMC:

Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is an electric distribution cooperative headquartered in Cumming, Georgia.  Sawnee serves electricity to over 128,000 accounts in seven counties of greater north Georgia.  Sawnee’s assets exceed $370 million with annual energy sales of 2.56 billion and revenue of $222 M.  With over 300 dedicated employees, Sawnee’s team of professionals meets the needs of its member-owners through its complex network of over 8,300 miles of distribution facilities.  Georgia’s 42 electric cooperatives now serve more customers than any other state network of EMCs in the nation.