The Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL), founded in 1885, is the largest municipally owned electric utility in Michigan and among the 30 largest in the United States. An eight-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Lansing City Council governs the BWL, which employs approximately 700 people. BWL has production facilities for all commodities supplied. BWL is a transmission and distribution owner/operator that provides wholesale water and electricity and interacts with MISO. BWL owns and operates: An electric system generates, purchases, and distributes electric power and provides electric service to approximately 97,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the greater Lansing, Michigan, area. Water wells, a raw water transmission system, water conditioning facilities, and an extensive water distribution system serving potable water to approximately 56,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the greater Lansing area. In addition, approximately 42,000 of these customers receive non-metered sewage services. In the city of Lansing, there are steam generation boilers, a steam transmission and distribution system serving approximately 175 customers, and a chilled water facility and distribution piping system serving 19 customers.
