The Southwest Power Pool, “Then and Now”

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Yesterday 28 people gathered in the City Hall in Garden City to hear a presentation on the Southwest Power Pool. Carl Monroe, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer spoke about the history of the SPP, where we are today and where the future of energy is taking us. Some of the statistics Carl used were astonishing and some were scary. 63,000MW of wind is in the generator interconnection que (not all of which will be built).  The peak load in SPP is just over 50,000MW and we already have 20,000MW installed wind generation. Wind set another penetration record on April 27, 2019 at 67.28%. Carl spoke of the decline of coal energy and the increase in wind, gas and solar power.

Many thanks to Garden City Public Utilities Director Mike Muirhead and the Garden City Public Utilities Advisory Board for hosting this well attended event. Several KMEA members cities attended as well as several members of the KMEA Executive Committee and KMEA staff. It was a great time in Garden City and the pizza wasn’t bad either.

KMGA Welcomes Jamestown!

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The newest member of KMGA is the City of Jamestown.  Jamestown will begin taking gas supply on June 1st.  KMGA staff visited Jamestown on May 1st to meet with Jacob Thoman, Director of Utilities, and Jessica Presler, City Clerk, as a new member visit.  Gerry Stephenson reviewed KMGA’s invoicing process.  Dixie Riedel discussed additional services offered by KMGA to member cities.

Welcome Jamestown!

EMP2 Welcomes a New City

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The City of Cimarron began taking power through the EMP2 group on May 1, 2019.   KMEA staff visited Cimarron on April 30th to On-Board the City.    During the On-Boarding, Tom Saitta reviewed KMEA’s Sharefile, Glance and MCG IAM systems.  Then, Jennifer Moore reviewed the City’s EMP2 billing and 2019 budget.  Additionally, Sam Mills updated the City on their transmission and metering.  KMEA staff enjoyed meeting with Jeff Acton, City Administrator, Shannon Hoskinson, Electric Superintendent, and Amber Walker, City Clerk.  Welcome Aboard Cimarron.

Please contact KMEA if you are interested in staff visiting your City to review invoicing and access to your City’s operational data.

Results of Member Services Survey

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by Paul Mahlberg, General Manager

As part of the Strategic Planning effort that is underway for our two agencies (KMEA and KMGA), potential new and expanded member services was identified as a strategic area of focus. With that in mind, a survey was sent out last month to each member city requesting feedback on which type of service is most needed or desired. We received responses from a good percentage of the membership from both agencies and there was a common theme. System maintenance and cost-of-service/rate studies were at the top of both lists.

KMEA Top Priorities KMGA Top Priorities
1 System Maintenance 1 System Maintenance
2 Cost of Service/Rate Studies 2 Joint Purchasing/ Inventory Mmgt.
3 Project Management 3 Cost of Service/Rate Studies
4 Legal & Regulatory Support 4 Expanded OQ Support
5 Legislative Support 5 System GIS Mapping
6 Financing 6 Financing

 

Staff is currently working with the Executive Committees to come up with potential solutions/programs for some of the items listed above where KMEA and KMGA could implement to help out the member cities. We appreciate the challenges that our members face day in and day out and are hopeful that we can provide some assistance in a few of the areas above. I will be presenting the overall strategic plan during our May board meetings and will be able to provide further updates at that time. Stay tuned!

“Electric 101” and “What is KMEA”

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“Electric Utility 101” and “What is KMEA” are both introductory presentations that we have created to help tell the story of what KMEA is and how the agency benefits you as a Member.

Over the past several years KMEA has seen a growth of new cities joining the Energy Management Projects (EMP’s). We also have several new faces at KMEA member cities as well. KMEA staff has developed these presentations to introduce these members to KMEA and the electric energy market.

Last week employees from four member cities made the trek to KMEA’s office for an educational session. We presented Electric Utility 101, What is KMEA and had a spirted conversation on several topics that were of interest to the members. It was a good time and we enjoyed seeing everyone.

If you or someone in your city has an interest in joining us for our next educational session, please contact Tom Saitta, saitta@kmea.com or Gerry Bieker, bieker@kmea.com.

National Lineman Appreciation Day (April 18, 2019)

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National Lineman Appreciation Day is a time to express our utmost appreciation to the great men and women that work so hard for us every day. It’s our honor to celebrate the hard work, innovation, and dedication of Electrical Lineworkers. #thankalineman

The following is a video created by the Northwest Lineman College:

Public Power Governance Webinar Series

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City of Eudora, Maintenance Electrician

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The City of Eudora, KS, population 6,300, seeks responsible applicants with knowledge to perform intermediate technical work maintaining and repairing pumps, motors and electrical wiring on City Buildings.  Salary range varies upon qualification. Position reports to the Electrical Superintendent.  Valid Kansas Driver’s License is required.  Click here for more information:

Baldwin City Solar Project Groundbreaking

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The City of Baldwin City recently hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for their soon to be constructed solar array. Through an RFP process Baldwin City chose Westar as the developer for this exciting project. A project kickoff meeting will be held next week and KMEA will be working with Baldwin City and Westar throughout the project. Congratulations to Baldwin City for their vision in choosing solar energy for a portion of their power supply needs into the future.

Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day

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March 18 is now national Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day! In 2015, the APGA Marketing & Sales Committee began discussing how they believed natural gas utility workers deserved a day to be recognized for their hard work and accomplishments. After several months of planning, the committee named March 18 the day in which natural gas utility workers around the country will be honored each year. The decision to hold this day on March 18 was made by a poll on the APGA Community. March 18 is the date of the New London, Texas school explosion in 1937 that led to the widespread odorization of natural gas and an increased emphasis on safety. Safety is a vital aspect to natural gas distribution and the employees of distribution companies endeavor to make natural gas delivery as safe as possible.

Please honor the natural gas utility workers in your community and at your system by celebrating on March 18! APGA has provided materials to use, which are below. We encourage you to plan events, communication, social media posts, etc., to celebrate this new and very important day!  Click Here for More Information