FAQ

The Midwest Municipal Transmission Group (MMTG) was formed on January 15, 2002.

Who belongs to MMTG?

• The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) is a nonprofit organization of 550 Iowa communities, including 136 communities that operate public power systems.

• The Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) is a nonprofit association, which represents the interests of the 126 Minnesota communities that operate municipal electric utilities.

• The Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (CMMPA) is a municipal corporation and a political subdivision of the State of Minnesota and is empowered to engage in the business of generating and transmitting electric power and energy.

What is MMTG?

MMTG is a consortium of public power entities in the upper Midwest.  Its purpose is to aid in the development of a robust and efficient regional electric transmission system and provide for equivalent transmission treatment of municipal utilities and their citizen-owners.  

Why MMTG?

• MMTG is being formed to further opportunities for municipal ownership of transmission equivalent to the amount needed to serve its members loads. For many reasons, municipal utilities may not be able to own the specific transmission facilities they use for delivery of their power supplies. However, MMTG members can become self-sufficient in terms of transmission investment, so that revenues or credits on their owned facilities offset costs on the facilities they directly use.

• Municipal investment in new transmission facilities will aid electric reliability, support development of competitive wholesale electric markets, and ensure reasonable transmission costs for the citizen-owners of municipal utilities.

• MMTG’s plans and goals support efforts of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to promote regional transmission and competitive wholesale electricity markets.

• MMTG’s plans and goals support efforts of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to promote regional transmission and competitive wholesale electricity markets.

• The participation of existing municipal transmission and municipal investments in new transmission will help end the second-class status to which municipal systems have often been relegated.

How does MMTG work?

• MMTG member utilities propose to turn over control of existing member transmission to the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO), which has been organized pursuant to orders of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to coordinate the planning and operation of a strong and efficient regional transmission grid. Alternatively, control could be assigned to a sub-regional entity within MISO, such as the TRANSLink transmission company proposed by MidAmerican Energy, Alliant Energy, Excel Energy, and others.

• MMTG will work with MISO and/or TRANSLink to ensure that its members can meet some of the region’s need for new transmission, so that its members have transmission grid investments in proportion to their transmission use.

• MMTG also will explore means of central dispatching to serve its members’ loads either through existing or planned MISO or TRANSLink control areas or through expanding the operations of an existing municipal control or sub-control areas, such as that operated by Muscatine Power and Water and other public power entities. The option of a regional pricing zone, within MISO or TRANSLink and similar to those proposed by private utilities, is under consideration by the group.

• MMTG is prepared to secure investments in local transmission and delivery facilities, where this is appropriate, to provide high-quality service or cost equity.

   

Questions or comments?  Email Anne Kimber at  akimber@iamu.org

Last updated on 12/01/05 11:43 AM