By Bonnie Culverhouse

Saturday night into Sunday morning marks the end of an era for the City of Minden. At midnight, a Power Switch Ceremony will be held at Minden’s Historic Steam Plant on Horton Street, where a “switch” will be flipped to start the community’s electrical future as powered by Louisiana Energy and Power Authority (LEPA).

Mayor Nick Cox and the Minden City Council invited the entire city to attend and “join this historic moment as Minden transitions to LEPA power. Gather with our community to count down to midnight and mark the start of a brighter future.”

Those who attend should come by 11:45 p.m. Saturday.

In February, 2025, the council voted unanimously to give Cox the “authority to enter into a contract with Louisiana Energy and Power Authority to supply electricity to the citizens of Minden if and when the opportunity becomes available.”

The opportunity became available, Cox signed the contract with LEPA and then an agreement was reached with Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) to end their time with the city – a move that should help citizens with their utility bills.

Cox said Minden residents who pay for city utilities will begin seeing lower bills soon after the switch is made.

“But because of the way our billing system is, bills won’t be significantly lower until probably August,” he said. “And of course then we are in the hottest part of the summer and will be running air conditioning, so that’s really not going to be a fair assessment either. But by September, I feel confident residents will be seeing relief from their high utility costs.”