Geneva’s goal, based upon the City’s strategic plan to “maintain cost-effective and efficient delivery of City services” is to “stabilize and maintain competitive energy rates within the Northern Illinois markets.” The energy markets are dynamic and constantly changing due to supply, demand, technology, governmental and environmental regulations.

How We Accomplish the Goal

Geneva accomplishes rate stabilization through diversification and ownership of energy sources and fuels. The Geneva Generation Facility (GGF) is a natural gas facility, used to supply energy during higher summer peak loads, taking advantage of today’s lower natural gas prices. GGF is bid into the market on an hourly basis insuring the lowest available price during peak periods.

Geneva has energy contracts through 2031, to meet the intermediate load periods of the mid-day summer loads. Geneva’s base load energy needs are provided by two different sources. The first is landfill gas generation. Geneva has had a relationship with Waste Management Renewable Energy that dates back to 1987.

The second base load resource is a contract with Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency (NIMPA). Through the NIMPA contract, Geneva has an entitlement share of 35 MW in Prairie State Generating Company. This state-of-the-art, 1,600 MW coal-fired power plant, is located in southern Illinois, 60 miles southeast of St Louis.

The City of Geneva Electric Utility is a member of NIMPA.

NIMPA and its partners at the Prairie State Generating Company took possession of, and placed unit 1 and unit 2 of the 1600-megawatt (MW) Prairie State Energy Campus into commercial operation. This was a significant milestone in the process of completing the critical coal-fired mine mouth power plant that supplies NIMPA's 120 MW share to the three communities that NIMPA serves with low-cost, reliable and environmentally responsible power for decades to come.

Prairie State was strategically planned to have the power plant and the coal mine on the same campus. This design eliminates the need to transport the coal from the mine to the plant, thereby reducing fuel transportation costs for the plant, power production costs for participating utilities, as well as overall emissions due to eliminating the transportation of coal to the plant.

Prairie State fulfills the vision of NIMPA and its partners of their desire to use domestic energy resources to provide low-cost, reliable and environmentally responsible power for their customers. This is especially evident with the construction of Lively Grove, the onsite mine. Not only is this mine one of the safest mines in the world, it will supply all of the fuel for the adjacent power plant.

As owners of the coal mine, NIMPA and its partners at Prairie State have already purchased coal reserves to power the plant for about 30 years. Prairie State is also prepared to meet and exceed the newest environmental regulations. The plant is expected to achieve some of the highest standards of efficiency and emissions control. Prairie State ranks among the top-tier coal-fired plants nationwide in per megawatt hour carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, reduction and removal of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and particulate matter. Prairie State serves the valuable purpose of achieving Geneva’s goal of having a diversified portfolio of power resources.