CARMEL, Ind., Jan. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ACES announced today the addition of South Mississippi Electric Power Association (SME) as its newest Member.  Effective January 1, 2013, ACES will begin implementing services around an already strong SME operation.

"With the changing market landscape that will bring the MISO Regional Transmission Organization to our area of the country, we had to enhance our operation for the new MISO marketplace in the Entergy region," said SME General Manager and CEO James Compton. "We felt our best course of action was to join ACES. The key to our Membership decision was ACES' willingness to take the time and effort up front to learn our system and understand our exact needs surrounding a transition into the MISO marketplace."

According to ACES President and CEO David Tudor, "SME has a very sound operation, but we appreciate their recognition that ACES has a proven track record of managing risk, assets, and load in the MISO marketplace.  When an entity is faced with an entirely new way of doing business, such as transitioning to a Regional Transmission Organization, we have a very cost effective and efficient solution for filling operational gaps."  

About ACES
ACES transacts several billion dollars annually on behalf of its Clients, who operate in nearly every wholesale electric market region of the US and have a collective portfolio of approximately 47,000 MW of both load and resources. Providing services "as agent," ACES represents its Clients in the marketplace, working to manage energy risk. Because ACES does not buy or sell energy on its own behalf, it avoids conflicts of interest and ensures consistent and complete alignment with the best interests of the organizations it serves.

About SME
South Mississippi Electric is a not-for-profit cooperative that generates, transmits and sells wholesale electric energy to 11 Member distribution cooperatives. These 11 Member systems own and maintain approximately 56,300 miles of distribution lines and provide service to approximately 410,000 homes and businesses in 56 of Mississippi's 82 counties, across 52 percent of the state's land mass. South Mississippi Electric's primary purpose is to provide affordable and reliable electric energy to its Members. The mission is accomplished by focusing on the core fundamentals of power generation, power purchasing, power delivery, and fuel-risk mitigation. For more information, visit www.smepa.coop.

Questions for ACES can be directed to John Sturm, Vice President of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, at (317) 344 -7034 or johnst@acespower.com. Questions for SME can be directed to Sara Peterson, Corporate Communications Manager, at (601) 705-6614 or speterson@smepa.coop. 

SOURCE ACES