The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska is beginning its process in developing its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). An update of the multi-year process was provided at the MEAN Power Supply Committee and Board of Directors meeting in November.
MEAN’s IRP is a long-term planning document that identifies how MEAN will meet its future electric resource needs, evaluating supply-side (generation, power purchases) and demand-side (energy efficiency, conservation) options.
MEAN updates its IRP every five years to fulfill its requirement by the Western Area Power Administration to qualify for full federal low-cost hydro allocations. The non-binding document serves as a fluid “roadmap” to guide the MEAN Board of Directors in their decision-making regarding power resources.
The process begins with a stakeholder survey to MEAN wholesale power participants to identify and rank priorities, which include cost, portfolio diversity, market risk, environmental considerations, generation ownership, and policy risk.
The IRP process will include opportunities to gather directional feedback from MEAN participants and the general public, including a public workshop in early 2026 to help in developing scenario modeling.
The IRP, which is required to be submitted to WAPA in 2027, will be another step toward MEAN’s carbon neutral resource portfolio vision by 2050, which was passed by the MEAN Board in 2020.
Ron Doggett elected to serve on Executive Committee
Ron Doggett, public works director for the City of Bridgeport, Neb., was elected to fill an at-large vacant position on the MEAN Executive Committee. The term ends at the end of MEAN’s fiscal year on March 31, 2026.
The Executive Committee provides leadership and can perform board duties in between full MEAN Board meetings.
More communities sign modernized SSM agreement
As of mid-November there have been 36 Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) wholesale power participant communities that have signed the modernized Total Power Requirements Power Purchase contract with MEAN.
The agreement, known as the modernized Service Schedule M (SSM), maintains the same benefits as the legacy SSM contract with additional enhancements. The modernized SSM agreement was developed collaborating with MEAN members over a multi-year process and approved by the MEAN Board of Directors in November 2023.
For communities that are continuing to transition to MEAN’s modernized SSM agreement, contact Michelle Lepin at (800) 234-2595 ext. 234 with any questions.