Curtailment

Program available in:

The Curtailment program allows our large commercial and industrial customers in Iowa and Illinois to receive financial incentives for reducing peak electrical demand. The program is designed to help maintain the resilience and reliability of the grid during emergency conditions. Industrial or commercial customers capable of reducing electricity use by 200 kW or more during peak demand periods are eligible.

How does it work?

MidAmerican will help you calculate an expected demand (the typical amount of electric demand your facility normally places on our system between 3 and 6 p.m.), a firm power level (the minimum, or base level, of electric demand to which you agree to reduce your consumption) and your load available for curtailment.

Sample summer calculation:
1,000 kW expected demand (3-6 p.m.)
-750 kW firm power level
250 kW curtailable load

For year-round participants, summer and non-summer will be calculated.

Program details:

Participants must choose a participation period.
- Summer Only (June 1-September 30)
- Year-Round (June 1-May 31)
Events run for a maximum of six hours each.
MidAmerican's business connection managers will contact participants to issue warnings of potential curtailment periods at least two hours before actual events.
During events, customers must reduce their use of electricity supplied by MidAmerican by their contracted amount.
The reduction can be achieved by limiting air conditioning, reducing or shifting the operation of other equipment, or by using auxiliary on-site electrical generation.
Participants are required to provide a data communication line (telephone or Internet TCP/IP) for interval data transmission.
In Iowa and Illinois, this program is governed by Iowa electric tariff Rider CS and Illinois electric tariff Rider CS.

When will I be asked to curtail?

When the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) declares an emergency
When MidAmerican's transmission and/or distribution system's operating conditions warrant reduced energy demand
When MidAmerican's system electric demand is high and energy supply is forecasted to be in deficit

MidAmerican will provide a warning that a curtailment event is possible at least two hours in advance.

What happens if I can't comply when I'm asked to curtail?

Compliance with all mandatory curtailment requests is important. MidAmerican must maintain a reserve of electric capacity. By curtailing your electric use during periods of high energy consumption and low supply or emergency events, you help to maintain this important reserve and the resilience and reliability of the grid.
If you fail to curtail when requested, MidAmerican may be required to purchase additional capacity to cover the shortfall and may incur financial penalties.
If you fail to curtail your contracted curtailable load amount, MidAmerican may reduce your contracted curtailable load or disqualify you from participating in future years.

If you are notified to curtail and find you are unable to decrease your load to the firm power level, you must contact MidAmerican immediately.

How do I participate?

Contact your business connections manager for assistance in determining your company's curtailable loads. You may also contact MidAmerican at curtailment@midamerican.com or call 866-584-0871.
Complete and return a Curtailment Program Contract prior to March 15 of the contract year.
New applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

May I cancel or change curtailment levels?

Customers are required to participate for the entire participation period in which they contracted.