The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) Board of Directors at their Board meeting in November approved a new Green Energy Program, which streamlines and modernizes MEAN’s renewable energy resource portfolio and rate structure.
The program for MEAN long-term power supply participants (Schedule M, K and K-1) consolidates MEAN’s previous separate renewable energy resource pools for wind and landfill gas generated energy into one green energy “pool” and establishes a green energy rate in place of MEAN’s previous wind and landfill gas energy rates for subscribing wholesale power supply participants.
MEAN’s current renewable energy resources under the new program include 86 megawatts from wind, landfill gas and hydropower generation facilities. The majority of MEAN’s 62 wholesale power supply participants receive renewable energy, including federal hydropower allocations from the Western Area Power Administration.
The Board previously discussed the initiative and formed an Ad Hoc Rates and Charges Committee to develop the program. The Committee met in October and ultimately recommended the new program to the MEAN Board for approval at the November meeting. The new program will take effect in April 2023.
With the approval of the program, MEAN’s rate structure will include a green energy rate to go along with MEAN’s current Fixed Cost Recovery Charge and base energy rate that are used for collecting sufficient operational revenue.
The program maintains many of the same beneficial principles of MEAN’s previous separate renewable energy pools, including allowing communities to customize their energy portfolios based on energy available within MEAN’s current energy resource portfolio.
MEAN participants currently subscribed to receive renewable energy have the opportunity to continue their subscriptions under the new Green Energy Program. In the near future, the amount of energy under the program will expand as MEAN’s current resources and power contracts are replaced over time by more renewable energy as MEAN works toward its 2050 carbon neutral vision.