The Village of Versailles owns and operates its own municipal electric system serving approximately 1875 customers not only in the Village, but outlying areas of Wayne, Patterson, and Adams Townships in Darke County. Versailles is a proud “Public Power Provider”, providing reliable, safe, and cost-effective electricity to the customer owners we serve since 1901.
The Village of Versailles Electric Department had humble beginnings when the Village’s first coal-fired power plant was built and put into operation in 1901 to serve Village residents. The Village constructed a second diesel-powered power plant due to increasing power demand in 1941 with the plant being shuttered soon thereafter in 1943 in favor of purchasing wholesale power from Dayton Power & Light.
The Village of Versailles is a member owner of American Municipal Power (AMP), a joint action agency that serves nine states and 135 member communities. AMP was founded in 1971 when a group of municipally owned electric systems joined forces to lower costs and increase reliability of their power supply to benefit their communities. Through AMP, the Village today purchases and receives power form a host of power supply sources with the Village having an ownership share in the majority of those sources. The Village of Versailles receives power from the following sources:
- New York Power Authority (NYPA) – Two federal hydroelectric projects in the state of New York (Niagra Project and St. Lawrence Project)
- Prairie State Energy Campus –1600 MW (megawatt) mine-to-mouth coal-fired power plant located in Washington County, Illinois
- Blue Creek Wind Project - Wind power source located in Van Wert and Paulding County, Ohio
- Belleville Hydroelectric Power Station – 42 MW run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station located on the Ohio River at the Belleville Locks and Dam
- Willow Island, Cannelton, and Smithland Hydroelectric Power Stations – Run-of-the-river hydroelectric power stations located on the Ohio River totaling 208 MW of power production
- Meldahl Hydroelectric Power Station – 105 MW run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station located on the Ohio River at the Capt. Anthony Meldahl Locks and Dam
- Greenup Hydroelectric Power Station – 70 MW run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station located on the Ohio River at the Greenup Locks and Dam
- Fremont Energy Center – 675 MW natural gas combined cycle power plant located in Fremont, Ohio
- JV2 Peaking Power – 137 MW of distributed generation consisting of reciprocating diesel generating units as well as generating turbines located in various AMP communities. Three 1.8 MW diesel units totaling 5.4 total MW’s are located in Versailles that provide peak-shaving power during high usage times of the year as well as limited emergency generation for the Village electric system.
- AMP Solar Phase II – Distributed generation solar fields located in various AMP communities. A 1.75 MW solar facility is located in Versailles. The solar facility provides valuable “behind-the-meter” power generation to help reduce cost exposure for power transmission costs.
The Village of Versailles Electric Distribution system is currently supplied power from the Dayton Power & Light Transmission System via a 69,000 (69kV) feed that supply power to two Village substations. The substations convert the 69kV power into 12,470 volts (12kV) and 4,160 volts (4kV) that is then fed out onto the Village’s distribution system to transformers that ultimately feed power to customers. In addition to electric service to customers, the Electric Department also maintains all traffic lights, street lights, facility electric repairs, and is extensively involved in providing power to major village social events such as Poultry Days, Relay for Life, and FareFest.
The Versailles Electric Department is headed by Scott Riley, Electric Foreman, and five linemen: AJ Magoto, Derek Meyer, Luke Cox, Luke Schlater, and Shane Weaver. The department is outfitted with three bucket trucks, two digger/derrick trucks, trencher, mini-excavator, and other related support equipment.
In 2020, Versailles was awarded the Reliable Public Power (RP3) Diamond Award from the American Public Power Association (APPA). The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. Versailles joins more than 220 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation. Versailles joins an elite fraternity of public power municipalities in the Nation to hold the prestigious RP3 Diamond designation. Other public power municipalities in Ohio who currently hold the RP3 Diamond level include the cities of Piqua, Wapakoneta, Cuyahoga Falls, Hamilton, and Dover.
Hours:
Monday-Friday 7:00A-3:30P
Utilities Office – 937-526-3294
Scott Riley, Electric Foreman – 937-526-3294 x 207
Darrin Mumaw, Utility Superintendent – 937-526-3294 x 226
Emergency/After Hours 24HR – 937-459-2584
**The Electric Dept. Emergency Phone Number is for customers, residents, and/or businesses reporting an electric service outage or service issue. This Emergency Phone Number is manned by an electric lineman 24/7, 365 days a year. During a major outage event or a severe weather related event, you may not be able to reach someone immediately on this phone number. During such a situation, the Village will utilize it's One Call Notification Service to provide information to customers, residents, and businesses.
