From the CEO: Responsible Planning Supports Reliable Power

wire on spool
How Boone Power keeps member priorities front and center

Growth affects every utility, but cooperatives approach it differently. As large projects look to our region, we evaluate their impact carefully to avoid unnecessary risk. Before large developments come to our community, we work with our wholesale partner, Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WPVA), to ensure the power is available, can be delivered reliably, and that financial protections are in place. 

Bill Conley

President & CEO Bill Conley

In every conversation, negotiation, and agreement, we never lose sight of the fact that growth without purpose is not success; it’s risk. As not-for-profit cooperatives, neither Boone Power nor WVPA answers to distant shareholders.

Boone County is experiencing significant change, but I want to assure the members of Boone Power that we will not allow growth to negatively impact our commitment to reliability, a fair and reasonable rate structure, or our level of service.

Reliability

Our 2024 member satisfaction survey showed that reliability is one of the most important expectations our members have. We take that seriously with proactive programs like vegetation management, copper wire replacements, and regular system inspections.

Boone Power members experience 65% less outage time than their neighbors served by investor-owned utilities. From 2020-2024, our members averaged just 1 hour and 40 minutes without power each year, compared to 4 hours and 43 minutes for nearby investor-owned utilities.*

We’re proud that 87% of members are satisfied with our reliability, and we aim to increase that to 90% when we conduct our next survey this spring.

While some outages are unavoidable — caused by vehicle accidents, severe weather, transmission-level issues, or even animals damaging equipment — we prepare for every situation. Our linemen live within a required distance of our headquarters and are available 24/7. We’ve implemented technologies that help us isolate issues more quickly and restore power faster.

As you can see from this article in the January issue of Indiana Connection, we have a strong safety culture that also enhances reliability.

 

Fair and reasonable rates

As I shared in my column in October, growth helps spread fixed costs across more consumers, which strengthens rate stability for all members. 

Boone Power’s average cost per kilowatt-hour, based on an average household usage of 1,200 kilowatt-hours per month, is 17.1 cents. According to the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration data (September 2025), the Indiana average is 17.3 cents, and the East North Central region (which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin) averages 18.7 cents.

For several years, we’ve taken a steady approach with small annual adjustments to avoid sudden, steep increases. This helps us responsibly manage rising material and equipment costs while continuing to improve our distribution system so we can fulfill our mission of delivering the most reliable service possible.

 

Level of service

Our new facility, currently under construction, will give us the space we need to support a growing membership. We’re focused on making it easy for our members to do business with us. For example, we’re expanding our in-house call center so that, whenever possible, your call is answered by a Boone Power employee, and as quickly as possible. We do, occasionally, however, have to rely on an off-site vendor — such as during after-hours or widespread outages — to help us answer the phones.

We’re also offering more self-service options. Members can manage their communication preferences and self-schedule energy advising appointments from SmartHub.

As Boone County grows, Boone Power will grow with it — responsibly, reliably, and always with a focus on serving our members.

*Statistics based on System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), which is the average minutes of interruption per customer. It is calculated by dividing the sum of all customer interruption durations (in minutes) by the total number of customers. [Sources: Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission; National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation]

Meta Data Center | Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Will this project impact my Boone Power electric bill?

No, Boone Power ensures customers are not subsidizing costs for other customers. Every customer is billed for the kilowatt-hours it consumes. Any infrastructure that will be used solely by this customer, such as substations, is paid for by the customer. Any new network infrastructure like transmission lines are built and owned by our wholesale power partner, Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WVPA). WVPA will receive revenue from any transmission utilities using the lines to transport power from their generation sources to their customers. This helps offset the cost to build and maintain those high-voltage lines. 

 

2. What happens if the project does not come to fruition? 

Boone Power and its wholesale power partner, Wabash Valley Power Alliance, have secured unprecedented protections and guarantees to ensure no project costs fall back on their customers. 

 

3. Where is the power coming from for this project?

Large loads like the Meta data center work directly with our wholesale power partner in coordination with Boone Power. Wabash Valley Power Alliance’s approach is to align each large load with a dedicated and independent power source on a one-to-one basis. This means our current generation resources will not be utilized to power the Meta data center. WVPA has secured a long-term contract with a supplier that has a vast portfolio of carbon-free resources.

 

4. Is Meta providing energy assistance?

Yes. Meta’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Lebanon Data Center included an announcement about the company contributing funding to support energy-assistance programs for Boone Power members. We’re working closely with Meta to shape the eligibility requirements and program guidelines, with the intention of launching it when the Lebanon Data Center becomes operational. An announcement with more information will be made at that time.