FAQs about the imea contract
Are we talking about ComEd taking over Winnetka power?
Not at all. That's not an option.
What about the reliable service from our Winnetka Electric Department?
That doesn't change. Our yellow trucks aren't going anywhere. If a tree limb falls on a line, a yellow truck will be there. Winnetka will maintain its electric distribution system within the village as it always has.
What happens to our Tower Road power plant?
Nothing. Though that plant now only operates a few days a year, it too isn't going anywhere.
What about relying on an "outside provider" of electricity?
Winnetka has relied on an outside provider for over 30 years--the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA). But in more recent years, there are now more providers that do the same thing without relying as heavily on coal.
Doesn't IMEA make sure Winnetka has reliable power?
PJM and Winnetka's in-house electric department are responsible for reliability, not IMEA.
Won't we lose the $1 million per year in credits we get for the Tower Road peaker plant?
Winnetka has many options for selling our power to the market, and we should use a competitive process to find the best deal.
You say that Winnetka's energy is 80% coal, but don't we get the same energy mix as our neighbors?
We are talking about the contract with IMEA, not the physics of the energy electrons that reach our homes. Our contract and our money fund two massive coal plants.
If we don't renew with IMEA, won't they just sell their dirty power to someone else?
This is speculative, and a perfect example of a collective action problem.
Won't our electric rates go down once we repay our coal plant investment bons in 2035?
It's folly to believe IMEA will not make any capital investments in 2035 or later that will require new debt.
Won't we have to hire a huge, expensive staff if we do not stay with IMEA?
Alternative power suppliers offer full requirements contracts just like IMEA—or we can add staff for certain services.
Aren't renewable energy prices higher than coal on the PJM grid?
Not true. Coal is increasingly uneconomic compared to cleantech costs. Write's Law: cleantech costs fall by 20% with every doubling of deployment.
Doesn't IMEA have a Sustainability Plan that will get us to Net Zero by 2050?
The plan lacks data and forecasting typically used by the utility industry. The contract has zero performance guarantees or cancellation policies if Net Zero fails to happen.
