18-2457. Power project agency; joint exercise of powers; agreement; agent; liabilities; sale, lease, merger, or consolidation; procedure.

(1) Such agency shall have and may exercise any one or more of the powers, rights, privileges, and franchises mentioned in sections 70-625 to 70-628, either alone or jointly with one or more public power districts. In any joint exercise of powers, rights, privileges, and franchises with respect to the construction, operation, and maintenance of electric generation or transmission facilities, each entity shall own an undivided interest in such facility and be entitled to the share of the output or capacity therefrom attributable to its undivided interest. Each entity may enter into an agreement or agreements with respect to any electric generation or transmission facility with other entities participating therein, and any such agreement shall contain such terms, conditions, and provisions consistent with the provisions of this section as the board of directors of the entity shall deem to be in the interests of the entity.

(2) The agreement may include, but not be limited to, (a) provisions for the construction, operation, and maintenance of an electric generation or transmission facility by any one of the participating entities, which shall be designated in or pursuant to such agreement as agent, on behalf of itself and the other participating entities or by such other means as may be determined by the participating entities, and (b) provisions for a uniform method of determining and allocating among participating entities the costs of construction, operation, maintenance, renewals, replacements, and improvements with respect to such facility. In carrying out its functions and activities as the agent with respect to construction, operation, and maintenance of a facility, such agent shall be governed by the laws and regulations applicable to such agent as a separate legal entity and not by any laws or regulations which may be applicable to any of the other participating entities.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, pursuant to the terms of the agreement any participating agency or district may delegate its powers and duties with respect to the construction, operation, and maintenance of a facility to the participating entity acting as agent, and all actions taken by such agent in accordance with the provisions of the agreement shall be binding upon each of such participating entities without further action or approval by their respective boards of directors. The entity acting as the agent shall be required to exercise all such powers and perform its duties and functions under the agreement in a manner consistent with prudent utility practice. As used in this section, prudent utility practice shall mean any of the practices, methods, and acts at a particular time which, in the exercise of reasonable judgment in the light of the facts, including but not limited to the practices, methods, and acts engaged in or approved by a significant portion of the electrical utility industry prior thereto, known at the time the decision was made, would have been expected to accomplish the desired result at the lowest reasonable cost consistent with reliability, safety, and expedition. In no event shall anything in this section be deemed to authorize any agency or district to become liable for and to pay for any costs, expenses, or liabilities attributable to the undivided interest of any other entity participating in such electric generation or transmission facility. Any agency or district that is interested by ownership, lease, or otherwise in the operation of electric power plants, distribution systems, or transmission lines, either alone or in association with another entity, in thirteen or more counties in the state may sell, lease, combine, merge, or consolidate all or a part of its property with the property of any other agency or district.

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