Public Power - June 2008 - (Page 31) joint planning and construction of regional transmission lines. But even before CapX was established, some public power agencies were taking the initiative. Fed up with the second-class status of municipal systems in the region, three groups pledged to promote opportunities for municipal ownership of transmission. In 2002, the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association and the Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency formed the Midwest Municipal Transmission Group (MMTG). MMTG sought to become a participant in a proposed transmission organization—TRANSLink— by intervening in the organization’s filing. TRANSLink—which included Xcel Energy, Alliant Energy, Great River Energy, MidAmerican Energy and Dairyland Power Cooperative—didn’t get off the ground. MMTG then tried to obtain transmission rights individually with the TRANSLink participants. It initially received a chilly reception from MidAmerican, but it persisted, and in 2005 reached agreement with that investor-owned utility. “The agreement was a huge breakthrough for us,” said Anne Kimber, director of energy services for Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU). Relations tended to be adversarial at the beginning, she admits. But gradually, each party earned the other’s respect. “MidAmerican understood that MMTG’s needs are legitimate, and that we are as dedicated to a joint solution of transmission issues as MidAmerican is,” said Kimber. “Now, MidAmerican has involved us. We’re being treated almost as part of the company’s system.” MMTG can support MidAmerican rather than fighting the company on transmission issues, said Kimber. “We bring investment money and political capital to the table. We’re part of the solution to needed infrastructure in the Midwest.” Today, MMTG represents the interests of more than 200 municipalities that operate electric utilities. But its share of the transmission network in Iowa and Minnesota is small, about 10 percent, estimates Kimber. Through the Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, MMTG also participates www.APPAnet.org in CapX 2020’s regional planning process. And along with MRES, MMTG is involved in CapX’s Brookings project. Additionally, MMTG has been seeking transmission investment and ownership rights in other new Midwest transmission projects. Like Missouri River Energy Services, the MMTG sponsors were worried about future costs. “We knew rates would increase, and we wanted to find hedges for those costs,” said Kimber. Owning as much transmission as we used was the only way we saw to head off those costs.” In Florida, attempts to broaden transmission ownership have not fared so well. In response to a push by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to create regional transmission organizations (RTOs) nationwide, earlier this decade, Florida’s investor-owned utilities came up with a PPL EnergyPlus manages a portfolio of assets, load obligations and various other physical and financial transactions in the PJM, NE, NY, WECC and MISO markets. In doing so, PPL EnergyPlus operates marketing centers around the clock to manage the needs of its portfolio and its customers. PPL EnergyPlus’ energy commodities business offers products and services to the marketplace that competitively meet our customers’ needs and align with our core competencies of asset operations, portfolio optimization and risk management. Marketing Desk East: 610-774-4334 West: 406-533-3526 Trading Desk East: 800-928-8546 West: 406-533-3583 PPL EnergyPlus Two North Ninth Street (GENPL7) Allentown, PA 18101 JUNE 2008 31 http://www.pplenergyplus.com http://www.APPAnet.org
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - June 2008 Public Power - June 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions A Patchwork Approach to Renewable Energy Whose Grid Is It Anyway? The Little Utility That Could Benchmarking Customer Service Can Prairie Hay Power Your Town? Storming the Control Room Investing in the Smart Grid Coming of Age: Superconducting Cables Community Broadband Economic Development Customer Service Human Resources For Governing Boards Safety Parting Shot Public Power - June 2008 Public Power - June 2008 - Public Power - June 2008 (Page Cover1) Public Power - June 2008 - Public Power - June 2008 (Page Cover2) Public Power - June 2008 - Public Power - June 2008 (Page 1) Public Power - June 2008 - Public Power - June 2008 (Page 2) Public Power - June 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Public Power - June 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Public Power - June 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Public Power - June 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Public Power - June 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Public Power - June 2008 - Contents (Page 8) Public Power - June 2008 - Contents (Page 9) Public Power - June 2008 - Perspective (Page 10) Public Power - June 2008 - Perspective (Page 11) Public Power - June 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 12) Public Power - June 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 13) Public Power - June 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 14) Public Power - June 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 15) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 16) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 17) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 18) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 19) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 20) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 21) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 22) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 23) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 24) Public Power - June 2008 - Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions (Page 25) Public Power - June 2008 - A Patchwork Approach to Renewable Energy (Page 26) Public Power - June 2008 - A Patchwork Approach to Renewable Energy (Page 27) Public Power - June 2008 - A Patchwork Approach to Renewable Energy (Page 28) Public Power - June 2008 - A Patchwork Approach to Renewable Energy (Page 29) Public Power - June 2008 - Whose Grid Is It Anyway? (Page 30) Public Power - June 2008 - Whose Grid Is It Anyway? (Page 31) Public Power - June 2008 - Whose Grid Is It Anyway? (Page 32) Public Power - June 2008 - Whose Grid Is It Anyway? (Page 33) Public Power - June 2008 - Whose Grid Is It Anyway? (Page 34) Public Power - June 2008 - Whose Grid Is It Anyway? (Page 35) Public Power - June 2008 - The Little Utility That Could (Page 36) Public Power - June 2008 - The Little Utility That Could (Page 37) Public Power - June 2008 - The Little Utility That Could (Page 38) Public Power - June 2008 - The Little Utility That Could (Page 39) Public Power - June 2008 - The Little Utility That Could (Page 40) Public Power - June 2008 - The Little Utility That Could (Page 41) Public Power - June 2008 - Benchmarking Customer Service (Page 42) Public Power - June 2008 - Benchmarking Customer Service (Page 43) Public Power - June 2008 - Benchmarking Customer Service (Page 44) Public Power - June 2008 - Benchmarking Customer Service (Page 45) Public Power - June 2008 - Can Prairie Hay Power Your Town? (Page 46) Public Power - June 2008 - Can Prairie Hay Power Your Town? (Page 47) Public Power - June 2008 - Can Prairie Hay Power Your Town? (Page 48) Public Power - June 2008 - Can Prairie Hay Power Your Town? (Page 49) Public Power - June 2008 - Storming the Control Room (Page 50) Public Power - June 2008 - Storming the Control Room (Page 51) Public Power - June 2008 - Storming the Control Room (Page 52) Public Power - June 2008 - Storming the Control Room (Page 53) Public Power - June 2008 - Storming the Control Room (Page 54) Public Power - June 2008 - Storming the Control Room (Page 55) Public Power - June 2008 - Investing in the Smart Grid (Page 56) Public Power - June 2008 - Investing in the Smart Grid (Page 57) Public Power - June 2008 - Investing in the Smart Grid (Page 58) Public Power - June 2008 - Investing in the Smart Grid (Page 59) Public Power - June 2008 - Investing in the Smart Grid (Page 60) Public Power - June 2008 - Coming of Age: Superconducting Cables (Page 61) Public Power - June 2008 - Coming of Age: Superconducting Cables (Page 62) Public Power - June 2008 - Coming of Age: Superconducting Cables (Page 63) Public Power - June 2008 - Community Broadband (Page 64) Public Power - June 2008 - Community Broadband (Page 65) Public Power - June 2008 - Community Broadband (Page 66) Public Power - June 2008 - Community Broadband (Page 67) Public Power - June 2008 - Economic Development (Page 68) Public Power - June 2008 - Economic Development (Page 69) Public Power - June 2008 - Customer Service (Page 70) Public Power - June 2008 - Human Resources (Page 71) Public Power - June 2008 - For Governing Boards (Page 72) Public Power - June 2008 - For Governing Boards (Page 73) Public Power - June 2008 - For Governing Boards (Page 74) Public Power - June 2008 - Safety (Page 75) Public Power - June 2008 - Safety (Page 76) Public Power - June 2008 - Safety (Page 77) Public Power - June 2008 - Safety (Page 78) Public Power - June 2008 - Safety (Page 79) Public Power - June 2008 - Parting Shot (Page 80) Public Power - June 2008 - Parting Shot (Page Cover3) Public Power - June 2008 - Parting Shot (Page Cover4)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.