6.1. ERMUSR 04-10-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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small size, CMMPA has partnered together with other utilities on vazious projects. In 2009, CMMPA members became pazt owners of the Nebraska City Two G82-megawatt base load coal generating station. This project gave the members access to low cost energy that wuldn't be found anywhere else in the region. Every municipality's needs are different and the agenry has found success in providing individualized a la carte services through its unique projectoriented structure. Some CMMPA members rely upon the agency for a portion of its needs and supplement by owning and operating wind, gas, diesel and hydroelectric generating plants. Other members take advantage of CMMPAs services for 100 percent of their needs. The project-oriented approach allows CMMPA to act as the technical advisor for members' current and future power supply and transmission needs. Each member maintains autonomy over their own portfolio decisions. Members also have an individualized power-supply portfolio, not aone-size- fits-all socialized portfolio. The flexibility of this approach also allows CMMPA to provide services at the lowest cost possible, achieving economies of scale and to provide these same services to municipal utilities that aze not members of CMMPA or any other agenry. Responsible and Reliable Parmera Facilitate Success In total, Thompson states CMMPA supplies around 120 megawatts and is a smaller-scale energy provider. Because of its To further defray future transmission tariff costs, the members aze becoming owners of impending transmission upgrades. "We aze panicipating in one of the four major projects being developed by the CapX2020 utilities. Due to increased demand and the large-scale expansion of renewable in the region, we aze paztnering with four other investor-owned utiities, power agencies and woperatives to build the necessary transmission lines required," Thompson continues. CMMPA will be a co-owner in the Brookings County- Hampton project, which involves the building of 200 miles of 345-kilovolt transmission line to serve communities across South Dakota and southern Minnesota, to just south of [he Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The CapX2020 partnership represents a first of its kind joint initiative from 11 regional utilities m increase total transmission lines to handle a demand of 6,000 megawatts it expects to see by 2020. "This project allows our members to be a transmission owner versus always being a renter. It provides us the ability to make return on our transmission investment to help hedge against future increases in MISO transmission usages charges," Thompson says. Regulatory Responsibilities CMMPA has aggressively developed energy efficienry programs to assist the reduction of energy costs to the residential, commercial and industrial customers of its member communities. "In 2010 we achieved 1.8-percent energy savings on our overall member load. Starting in 2010, the requirement in Minnesota was to save 1.5 percent. We aze proud that we exceeded that goal in our first year;' says "Thompson. 65