CPP does not have sufficient capacity to compete across the entire Greater Cleveland area.

Rather, it is intended to create additional capacity and to create a benchmark price in order to prevent price gouging by local private utilities and prevent the private market from controlling the city's electricity supply for municipal services such as streetlights and buildings.

This was seen as a bad move at the time; unable to pay its debts, the city became the first since the Great Depression to enter default, which cost Kucinich his job in next year's mayoral election.

However, Kucinich's decision was later vindicated by both city officials and the U.S. Senate, which found that CEI and the banks had acted improperly[citation needed].

In December 2006, a new commissioner for CPP, Ivan Henderson, took over the reins from the incumbent James Majer.