The Tennessee Valley Authority has approved the proposed merger between the Murfreesboro Electric Department and Middle Tennessee Electric, it was announced June 9.
While MTE and Murfreesboro will work to sign closing documents in the coming days, TVA's regulatory review and approval was the last step needed to finalize the merger. The regulatory review process was required to determine if the transaction created value for all ratepayers, since TVA supplies wholesale electric power to both not-for-profit distributors and has oversight over such transactions, Jones said.
"The review concluded that this transaction is in the best interest of the affected ratepayers, and upholds our mission to serve the people of the Valley," said Dan Pratt, TVA vice president of customer delivery. "It aligns with the values and principles of the Valley Public Power Model and reinforces our primary Regulatory role in protecting Valley ratepayers."
As previously reported, MTE will pay $245 million for MED. With interest, the total payment will be $302 million over the course of 15 years.
"MTE is an exceptional organization with incredibly strong leadership. The future benefits of the combined electric system to the ratepayers and the citizens of Murfreesboro are tremendous," Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland said.
On-again, off-again talks of a possible merger were renewed in late 2018 when the city approached MTE about the possibility.
Throughout last year, efforts to move toward that end culminated in the fall with a series of City Council workshops and listening sessions, meetings with employees and other stakeholders, a citywide open house, and a series of council votes ending in approval by the city in January of this year. Following unanimous approval from the MTE board, the paperwork for the TVA regulatory review was sent, also in January.