Southwestern Power Administration

What Southwestern Power Administration does

Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, established in 1943 under the authority of Section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1944. The agency's core function is marketing wholesale electric power generated from 24 Federal multi-purpose hydropower projects owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It also maintains and operates the high-voltage transmission infrastructure required to deliver that power, along with grid interconnection services, an Open Access Tariff, and publicly available daily generation schedules across its service territory.

SWPA serves over 100 preference customers — primarily rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities — across six south-central states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. These preference customers collectively serve approximately 10 million end-use consumers. The agency is one of four Power Marketing Administrations in the U.S. and operates as a non-profit federal entity selling power at cost-based rates rather than market prices.

SWPA's business model is the statutory marketing of federally generated hydropower at cost-based wholesale rates, with annual billing cadence to preference customers. Its competitive position is structurally embedded in federal law and in the physical asset base of Corps-owned hydro projects, supported by federal capital for transmission maintenance and upgrades. SWPA has no private equity ownership, raises no external funding, and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma following a January 2025 relocation.

Name

Southwestern Power Administration

Legal name

Southwestern Power Administration

Website

https://swpa.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Southwestern Power Administration is a U.S. Department of Energy federal agency that markets wholesale hydropower from 24 Army Corps of Engineers projects to over 100 rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across six states, serving roughly 10 million end-use customers at cost-based rates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Cost-Based Wholesale Power Sales: Markets and delivers cost-based wholesale power and energy generated from 24 Federal hydropower projects to public bodies and rural electric cooperatives. Revenue is derived from electricity sales at cost-based rates, not for profit.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Southwestern Power Administration is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Energy that markets and delivers cost-based wholesale electric power and energy generated from 24 Federal multi-purpose hydropower projects owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It provides transmission and related services, operating and maintaining high-voltage transmission infrastructure across six south-central states, and sells power primarily to preference customers such as rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities.

Product overview

Southwestern Power Administration operates as a single unified federal power marketing agency that markets wholesale electricity from 24 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hydropower projects. The core offering is cost-based power marketing combined with transmission and interconnection services. SWPA serves over 100 preference customers (rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities) who collectively serve approximately 10 million end-use consumers across Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. The agency also provides public access to generation schedules, maintains transmission infrastructure, and operates under an Open Access Tariff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wholesale Power Marketing Markets cost-based wholesale power and energy generated from 24 Federal multi-purpose hydropower projects owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to public bodies such as rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities.
• Transmission Services Maintains and operates high-voltage transmission infrastructure including transmission lines, oil circuit breakers, and related electrical equipment to deliver clean hydropower to customers across six states.
• Interconnection Services Provides grid interconnection services enabling customers to connect to SWPA's transmission system with planning and coordination support.
• Generation Schedules Publicly available daily power generation schedules for 24 hydropower projects, accessible via toll-free phone line (866-494-1993) or website seven days a week.
• Open Access Tariff Published tariff providing fair and open access to SWPA's transmission services, with related documents available for public review.
• Temporary Power Sales Short-term wholesale power sales available to preference customers to meet demand fluctuations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 10 million end-use customers through preference customers

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Army Corps of EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns the 24 Federal multi-purpose hydropower projects that generate the power marketed by SWPA. This is a foundational operational partnership - SWPA markets and transmits power generated from Corps-owned facilities, making this relationship essential to SWPA's core mission.
• U.S. Department of EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWPA operates within the Department of Energy under the authority of Section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1944. DOE provides organizational oversight, policy direction, and institutional support for SWPA's operations and strategic initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bonneville Power Administration: The largest of the four federal Power Marketing Administrations, BPA markets power from federal dams in the Pacific Northwest and operates one of the largest transmission systems in North America. Directly comparable to SWPA as a sister PMA serving preference customers with federal hydropower.
• Southeastern Power Administration: A federal Power Marketing Administration under DOE marketing hydroelectric power from Corps of Engineers projects in the southeastern U.S. Direct peer to SWPA with identical statutory mandate under Section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1944.
• Western Area Power Administration: Another of the four federal Power Marketing Administrations under DOE, WAPA markets hydroelectric power across 15 states in the central and western U.S. and operates extensive high-voltage transmission infrastructure. Most directly comparable to SWPA by mandate, statutory authority, and customer base of preference customers.

Regional players

• Oklahoma Gas & Electric: An investor-owned utility serving Oklahoma and western Arkansas, both within SWPA's 6-state service territory. Comparable as a preference-style wholesale power customer and transmission partner operating in the same regional grid.
• Electric Reliability Council of Texas: The independent system operator managing the Texas electric grid, covering a portion of SWPA's service territory. Comparable as a regional grid operator with overlapping service geography in Texas, though structurally distinct as an ISO rather than a vertically integrated transmission owner.
• Southwestern Electric Power Company: A subsidiary of American Electric Power serving parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas within SWPA's service territory. Comparable as a vertically integrated utility purchasing and transmitting wholesale power in overlapping geography.

Broad incumbents

• American Electric Power: One of the largest investor-owned electric utilities in the U.S., AEP operates the largest transmission system in North America, including substantial presence in SWPA's 6-state service territory (Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas). Comparable as a transmission operator serving overlapping wholesale customers.
• Tennessee Valley Authority: A federally owned corporation that generates, transmits, and distributes electric power across the Tennessee Valley. Broad incumbent in the federal utility space with comparable geographic footprint in the south-central U.S. and a similar mix of hydropower and thermal generation.

Emerging players

• Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. A generation and transmission cooperative supplying wholesale power to rural electric cooperatives in Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Comparable as a wholesale power supplier to rural cooperative customers that overlap with SWPA's preference customer base.

Others

• Southwest Power Pool: A Regional Transmission Organization coordinating the electric grid across 14 states including all six of SWPA's service territory states. Comparable as the wholesale market operator whose transmission planning and reliability coordination directly affect SWPA's grid operations and preference customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/energy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/USdepartmentofenergy
• Facebookfacebook.com/energy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-western-power-administration
• Instagraminstagram.com/energy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southwestern Power Administration