Samar I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SAMELCO I) was incorporated with the National Electrification Commission on February 27, 1974. It started actual operation three months later on May 27, 1974.

Its initial membership numbered to 800 member-consumers all coming from defunct Calbayog Electric Plant whose system was taken over by the newly organized electric cooperative created under RA 6038 as amended by PD 269. It has two (2) units CAT fuel-run gensets at its power plant in Brgy. Capoocan, Calbayog City as the sole source of power supply. During these periods, SAMELCO I offices were housed in a 0.6-hectare lot in Brgy. Capoocan where the power plant was located. In 1980 it eventually transferred to its new headquarters sprawled in a 3-4 hectares lot located at Brgy. Carayman about 5 kilometers south of the City of Calbayog situated along Maharlika Highway fronting a seashore turned into an open beach resort.

Later in 1983, the Coop built a 5MVA substation inside the headquarters when SAMELCO II, a sister cooperative based in Wright, Samar became ready to extend the excess power generated by its pielstick gensets to SAMELCO I via the 69 kilovolt transmission lines.

In September of the same year, SAMELCO I experienced another milestone in its quest for sufficient and dependable power supply by the commissioning of the newly completed Ton-ok Mini-hydro project with a capacity of 1080 KW, consisting of four (4) – 270 KW gensets.

Sometime in 1989 the Coop has been served with NPC power supply coming from its geothermal plant in Tongonan, Leyte.

The Coop coverage area is composed of One (1) City and eleven (11) municipalities/districts namely; Calbayog City, Tinambacan District, Oquendo District, and the municipalities of Sta. Margarita, Gandara, San Jorge, Pagsanghan, Tarangnan, Matuguinao, San Jose de Buan and the island municipality of Almagro. In 1996, the island municipalities of Tagapul-an and Sto. Niño were added to its franchise which were energized under NPC’s Small Island Grid (SIG) Power System, while San Jose de Buan was transferred to be under SAMELCO II’s franchise.

From inception, the cooperative has been managed by National Electrification Administration (NEA) manager Mr. Jose T. Vitug who was later appointed by the SAMELCO I Board as local general manager after his retirement from government service in 1977. From 1986 to 1990 SAMELCO I was under the supervision of NEA Project Supervisor Mr. Eddie A. Adlao. From 1991 to March, 1993 the Coop was then managed by another NEA man in the person of Engr. Honorio G. Samia. In April, 1993 NEA installed Mr. Oscar L. Pueblos as local general manager of SAMELCO I until his retirement from service in June, 2003. From June 09, 2003 to December 31, 2003 SAMELCO I was placed under the management of Mr. Eddie A. Adlao as Project Supervisor/Acting General Manager and from January 2004 the Coop was under the supervision of Officer-in-Charge until the appointment of Mr. Gil Ancheta on February 14, 2005 as local general manager up to his resignation on September 30, 2006. From 2006 to present the Coop is managed by Ms. Placida P. Balios as General Manager; Engr. Sandy M. Montero as OIC-Engineering Department; Editha Biliran – Finance Manager; Engr. Nathaniel Balios – Lines Superintendent; Noel Delator – Actg. MSD Manager and Teresita Callosa - Actg. Internal Audit.