UI Energy Collaborative

In 2020, the University of Iowa entered a 50-year public-private partnership with energy firms ENGIE and Meridiam. ENGIE and Meridiam will operate the University of Iowa’s utility system for 50 years in exchange for an up-front endowment paid by ENGIE and Meridiam that will be reinvested in the University of Iowa’s strategic mission. The 50-year partnership with ENGIE and Meridiam will help fund and support the university's strategic plan and core missions of teaching, research, and scholarship. Management of the UI Utility system transferred to ENGIE in March 2020.

The UI will place the upfront payment from ENGIE and Meridam of $1.165 billion into an endowment in order to acquire the additional funding for institutional priorities. After paying off $153 million in existing utility system bonds and $13 million in consulting fees, the endowment will have about $999 million. ENGIE and Meridiam will receive an annual fee of $35 million for providing the utility services for the length of the contract while realizing beneficial tax treatments related to the energy sector.

ENGIE and Meridiam are dedicated to pursuing the UI’s sustainability goals. As a part of the partnership agreement, the university has retained complete ownership and direction of the fuels program, while ENGIE supports the efforts to continue to move our operations completely off of coal.