Public power works

Guest column from APPA

By Scott Corwin*, President & CEO, American Public Power Association

Across the U.S., approximately 2,000 public power utilities demonstrate every day that community-owned electricity is a proven, high-performing model that prioritizes reliability, affordability and local accountability.

Public power utilities consistently outperform other utility types in reliability. In 2023, customers served by public power experienced half the outage time under normal conditions and 60% less during major events compared to customers of other utilities.

These results reflect quick local decision-making, a strong mutual-aid network, and sustained investments in resilience and system hardening.

Affordability is another hallmark of public power. Nationwide in 2023, when examining simulated monthly electricity bills, public power customers paid 13% less on average than customers of other utility types, resulting in meaningful savings for households and businesses alike.

These lower costs stem from not-for-profit governance, local oversight and a mission focused on service.

Public power utilities also invest millions of dollars annually in infrastructure upgrades, storm hardening, cybersecurity and workforce development, ensuring safe, reliable service now and in the future.

Public power works.

*This article was edited for context. It was published in its entirety in the Tampa Bay Times on Sunday, March 15, 2026 as a Letter to the Editor, written in response to a guest column that claimed “the private sector does better than the public sector” when it comes to providing electric power.