Sec. 3. Authorization to Cooperate. (a) In addition and supplemental to the powers otherwise conferred on municipalities by law, and in order to accomplish the purposes of this chapter, a municipality may plan, finance, develop, construct, reconstruct, acquire, improve, enlarge, own, operate and maintain an undivided interest as a tenant in common in a project jointly with one (1) or more municipalities, joint agencies or public utilities, and may plan and enter into contracts in this connection with them, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter.

     (b) Prior to acquiring any undivided interest, the governing body shall determine the present and future needs of the municipality for power and energy based upon engineering studies and reports, and may not acquire an undivided interest as a tenant in common in a project in excess of that amount of capacity and the energy required to provide for its projected needs for power and energy for such reasonable period of time as shall be determined by the governing body and approved by the commission in a proceeding pursuant to section 19 of this chapter.

     (c) The future power requirements of a municipality shall be evaluated by the governing body in accordance with the following:

(1) the economies and efficiencies to be achieved in constructing large scale facilities for the generation and transmission of electric power and energy;

(2) the municipality’s needs for reserve and peaking capacity and obligations reasonably related to its needs for power and energy under pooling and reserve sharing agreements to which it is or may become a party;

(3) the estimated useful life of the project; and

(4) the estimated time for planning, development, acquisition or construction of the project and the time required in advance to obtain, acquire or construct additional power supply.

As added by Acts 1980, P.L.68, SEC.1.