Public Power

Public power utilities are operated by local governments to provide communities with reliable, responsive, not-for-profit electric service. Public power utilities are directly accountable to the people they serve through local elected or appointed officials.

Some of the nation’s largest cities – Los Angeles, San Antonio, Nashville, Seattle and Orlando – operate publicly-owned electric utilities, but many public power communities are small, with their utilities serving 3,000 or fewer customers.

The American Public Power Association, the service organization for the nation’s more than 2,000 community-owned electric utilities. has a host of fact sheets about the benefits of public power.