| The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric
Company (MMWEC) was founded in 1969 to provide services to the consumer-owned,
municipal utilities of Massachusetts. In 1976, through Chapter 775
of the Acts of 1975, an act of the state legislature, MMWEC became
a non-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts with the power to issue tax-exempt
revenue bonds to finance electric generating facilities and other
projects. As the Joint Action Agency
for Massachusetts municipal utilities, MMWEC strives to meet the
collective needs of its Member and Project Participant utilities.
It does this by providing a variety of wholesale power supply,
financial and other services. Working with MMWEC enables municipal
utilities to meet their common service needs with greater efficiency
and economy, thereby improving their competitive positions and
ability to provide service to their customers at the lowest possible
cost. Of the 40 municipal utilities in Massachusetts, 20 are Members
of MMWEC and 28 are MMWEC Project Participants.
Services
The programs and services offered by MMWEC are structured to meet
the specific needs of municipal utilities. As the needs of municipal
utilities change, so do the services offered by MMWEC. Generally,
MMWEC provides numerous power supply services, including power
supply forecasting and planning, project and contract development,
power supply and demand management, and a range of services facilitating
municipal utility participation in wholesale power markets. MMWEC
also provides a variety of financial services, including bond
issuance, money management, treasury, accounting and budgeting
services. Other services include engineering and project operations,
risk management, information systems and business services. In
addition, MMWEC is an advocate for municipal utility interests
in the development of New England’s electricity marketplace,
as well as in a variety of regulatory, legislative and judicial
forums.
Power Supply Projects
MMWEC has issued tax-exempt revenue bonds to finance its ownership
interests in five electric generating units: the Stony Brook Intermediate
Unit, the Stony Brook Peaking Unit, Seabrook Station, Millstone
Unit No. 3, and W.F. Wyman Unit No. 4. MMWEC operates the Stony
Brook units, which along with MMWEC’s corporate headquarters
are located in Ludlow, MA. The power produced by these units is
resold to MMWEC’s Project Participant utilities through
Power Sales Agreements that obligate the utilities to pay costs
associated with MMWEC’s ownership interests, including the
interest and principal payments on MMWEC bonds. In addition to
the bond-financed Power Supply Projects, MMWEC negotiates contracts
and makes other arrangements to meet the bulk power requirements
of its Member and Project Participant utilities.
Governance
MMWEC is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors. Seven of
the directors are managers or commissioners of MMWEC Member utilities
elected by the membership. Two directors are appointed by the
governor of Massachusetts and serve at the pleasure of the governor.
Three representatives are appointed by the governing bodies of
the towns of Hampden, Ludlow and Wilbraham to vote on matters
affecting their respective towns.
Staff
MMWEC has a staff of approximately 88 people, including 32 assigned
solely to operation of the Stony Brook units. MMWEC’s administrative
staff has extensive experience and expertise in a variety of professional
disciplines, including power supply management, power plant operations,
engineering, financial management, economic analysis, information
systems and communications.
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