WINNETKA, IL
June 18, 2025: Village Council Statement Regarding the Adoption of the IMEA Contract Extension through May 31, 2055
https://www.villageofwinnetka.org/417/Illinois-Municipal-Electric-Agency-IMEA On June 17, the Village Council approved the extension of the Village’s power supply contracts with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) through 2055. IMEA has committed to transition its generation sources to zero carbon emission by 2050. In order to do this, IMEA needs to make significant investments. Contract extensions with member communities help IMEA to identify its power demand requirements far enough in advance that it can invest appropriately in solutions that meet the anticipated future power needs. We understand that this is a contentious issue, due in part to IMEA’s use of coal in its current power generation portfolio. The Village Council is not a fan of coal, and we are deeply concerned about the environment. This year, the Village hired a Sustainability Coordinator, who is working to develop a Climate Action Plan to identify energy efficiency and clean energy measures we can take at a local level to reduce greenhouse gasses, including exploring the development of a solar field on our decommissioned landfill and ‘cleaner’ generation at our electric plant. We also intend on holding IMEA to its pledge to transition to zero carbon emissions by 2050. The decision to extend the contract with IMEA was not taken lightly at all. We reviewed the issue for 14 months, including 5 study sessions on the topic where extensive public comment was heard. We participated in the Winnetka Future Energy Coalition Forum, spoke with businesspeople directly involved with supplying equipment to the power grid, and met with an energy consultant on multiple occasions, who investigated the Village’s options with power marketers that supply power to municipalities, and reported back his findings. It was an exhaustive effort undertaken to understand an extremely complex issue and make a decision in the best interest of the Village’s ability to supply predictable, reliable, and affordable power with limited risk of interruption. To make the choice to pursue a different electric supplier option in a rapidly-changing electric market would have been a significant risk that Council was unwilling to take. We understand that on the surface it looks like we are supporting electricity from coal generation. This is not the case: we are maintaining our existing outstanding, reliable, and affordable delivery of electricity to Winnetka’s homes and businesses and supporting our energy supplier in its plans to move toward carbon-neutral generation. June 17, 2025: Village Council Regular Meeting
June 18, 2025: Village Council Statement Regarding the Adoption of the IMEA Contract Extension through May 31, 2055
https://www.villageofwinnetka.org/417/Illinois-Municipal-Electric-Agency-IMEA On June 17, the Village Council approved the extension of the Village’s power supply contracts with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) through 2055. IMEA has committed to transition its generation sources to zero carbon emission by 2050. In order to do this, IMEA needs to make significant investments. Contract extensions with member communities help IMEA to identify its power demand requirements far enough in advance that it can invest appropriately in solutions that meet the anticipated future power needs. We understand that this is a contentious issue, due in part to IMEA’s use of coal in its current power generation portfolio. The Village Council is not a fan of coal, and we are deeply concerned about the environment. This year, the Village hired a Sustainability Coordinator, who is working to develop a Climate Action Plan to identify energy efficiency and clean energy measures we can take at a local level to reduce greenhouse gasses, including exploring the development of a solar field on our decommissioned landfill and ‘cleaner’ generation at our electric plant. We also intend on holding IMEA to its pledge to transition to zero carbon emissions by 2050. The decision to extend the contract with IMEA was not taken lightly at all. We reviewed the issue for 14 months, including 5 study sessions on the topic where extensive public comment was heard. We participated in the Winnetka Future Energy Coalition Forum, spoke with businesspeople directly involved with supplying equipment to the power grid, and met with an energy consultant on multiple occasions, who investigated the Village’s options with power marketers that supply power to municipalities, and reported back his findings. It was an exhaustive effort undertaken to understand an extremely complex issue and make a decision in the best interest of the Village’s ability to supply predictable, reliable, and affordable power with limited risk of interruption. To make the choice to pursue a different electric supplier option in a rapidly-changing electric market would have been a significant risk that Council was unwilling to take. We understand that on the surface it looks like we are supporting electricity from coal generation. This is not the case: we are maintaining our existing outstanding, reliable, and affordable delivery of electricity to Winnetka’s homes and businesses and supporting our energy supplier in its plans to move toward carbon-neutral generation. June 17, 2025: Village Council Regular Meeting