Insights From The 2025 Annual Meeting

This year’s annual meeting once again provided Participants with an opportunity to learn valuable insights as well as connect with peers from across the state. The conference had a few extra flourishes, as MEAG Power celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Jim Fuller, MEAG Power President and CEO, kicked off the General Session by taking a historical look at the last 50 years of operations, as well as a view to the future. Among other data points, he noted that future financing levels are predicted to be relatively minimal compared to the last 15 years, while projected revenues are predicted to grow considerably through 2035.

He gave an update on the Pineview solar project, commenting that all solar panels have been delivered to the site and testing is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2025. The facility is expected to go into commercial operation in 2026.

Also, in celebration of the 50^th anniversary, he held a conversation with several founding members of MEAG, thanks to the help of AI. The technology enabled photos of these executives to speak, sharing their perspective on the founding of the organization, using quotes from past company publications. You can see an example here of Frank Olson, former MEAG Power Board member and CEO, speaking about the reasons why MEAG was created.

Scott Corwin, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association (APPA), gave a timely look at current issues in public power. The APPA, which is celebrating its 85^th anniversary this year, is focusing its 2025 advocacy on affordability and reliability. This includes reliable power supply, grid security, tax exempt financing and infrastructure, elective payment tax credits, and permitting reform. Additionally, he shared that the APPA is offering a guide to utility operational excellence, which can be found at www.PublicPower.org/OperationalExcellence.

Next, Peter Kelly-Detwiler, a noted energy expert, gave an informative look at data center trends and what developers are looking for when they approach municipalities with offers to build new sites. The availability of reliable, high-quality energy is top of mind with data center owners, as is a short time to market in the race to serve growing AI demands.

Dana Peterson, the Chief Economist from the Conference Board, gave her perspective on where the economy is headed. Her main takeaways were that the U.S. economy entered 2025 on strong footing and the underlying economy remains robust. Uncertainty, geopolitics, and domestic policies are generating volatility, with slower economic activity expected in the second half of 2025, but a recession remains unlikely and growth should pick back up in 2026.

Concurrent sessions at the annual meeting included an update on legislative activities in Washington, D.C. from Rob Talley, President of Talley & Associates, who advocate on behalf of MEAG Power and the Participants. His group is focused on budget reconciliation implementation, permitting reform, budget sequestration, and regulatory policy actions in 2025.

Kevin Stengel, Senior Originator at ACES, MEAG Power’s energy trading partner, led a session on renewable energy credits. These credits are a certificate that allows the owner to claim renewable energy attributes from a renewable energy source. He gave a broad overview of the tax credits, as well as a specific view of using these credits for the Pineview solar project.

The third concurrent session offered best practices for utility management, led by ECG’s Director of Analytical Services, Chau Nguyen. He focused on operations including generation, transmission and distribution planning, infrastructure, technology and staff planning, as well as rate design and other finance issues.

During the Annual Meeting, Participant voting delegates re-elected Larry Vickery, former General Manager (retired) of Calhoun Utilities, Patrick Bowie, City Manager of LaGrange, and Eric Wilson, Mayor of Forsyth, to three-year terms on the MEAG Power Board.

At the Tuesday evening event, Mr. Fuller and MEAG Power senior management awarded President’s Awards to Tina Atchison, Manager of Power Supply Planning, Sean Buckingham, Land Services Manager, and Kurt Smithberger, Principal Accountant. This award recognizes MEAG Power employees for exceptional service and dedication to MEAG Power and the Participant communities.