Ui Energy Collaborative News Today

Nearly four years into a 50-year $1.165 billion public-private partnership for the operation of its utilities system, the University of Iowa is continuing to massage its process for distributing proceeds from the massive deal across campus.

On the same day University of Iowa officials asked a federal judge to dismiss a January lawsuit in which its new private utilities partner accused UI of shirking obligations just three years into their 50-year $1.165 billion deal, the university filed its own counter lawsuit against the utilities partner.

In its push to become coal-free by 2025 — or sooner — by adding more "green" to its energy palette, the University of Iowa is considering another public-private partnership.

Through the end of September, the University of Iowa had withdrawn nearly $41 million from an endowment fund it created in 2020 with $985.9 million the campus received as part of a public-private partnership for the operation of its sprawling utilities system.

Cracks are emerging in the $1.165 billion agreement, with the operator accusing the University of Iowa of "breaching its obligations."