[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6526910,"mediaKeyId","3677171-9cd7e8e65cbe800d7944c92f812a7359","parentId",3677171,"title","Board approves agenda and closed-session minutes statement (both 4–0)","audioSeconds",51,"startMs",121000,"endMs",172000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3677171-9cd7e8e65cbe800d7944c92f812a7359&start=121&end=172","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3677171-9cd7e8e65cbe800d7944c92f812a7359/thumbnail_121000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6526910/New-Mexico/Board-approves-agenda-and-closed-session-minutes-statement-both-40","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6526910-c21a02804c797d72ef5481546c4c56e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097284&Signature=UpRRqL1PeybuoapWfWoZiAas7kvA-bTCpz6wiE7ycf5iGNVGQ5gTmPU3rpa9unRzgT88Ir-32Farug-5US~vvHcGJD~L67hUUnuy-YR9zYbJO3bpT2PTM~vdrZ9fr~2W-3dR-fEW7SMHhBJWE98fmXIE-AkPiJHyxVG~xuZhDwCJVef8Wmb5N8Z7iWcY3Y9MIo~BaUzhs51kjsuTD1~3qScDXit1C~6j3yaA5tKbCJBksEYmeNdW2KipAimKKICixt9ZFEkGRGi4SNG-qoNcirwDDimVzwkFieli8KM~B3GvtoC8tUtAi1g8yHACekfI0K2Chh3t7SoBby4fSVw~GQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Los Alamos County","date","2025-06-04T00:00:00Z","article","At the June 4 meeting the Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities took two procedural votes.

Chair Gibson moved to approve the meeting agenda as published. Board member Eric Stromberg seconded the motion; the board approved the agenda by a 4–0 vote.

Chair Gibson then moved to approve a statement for inclusion in the minutes about the board’s May 21 closed session. The statement read, in full: “The matters discussed in the closed sessions on 05/21/2025 were limited only to those topics specified in the notice of the closed session, and no action was taken on any matter during the closed session.” Board member Matt seconded that motion and it passed 4–0.

Ending: Both votes were procedural and passed unanimously; no other formal board votes on ordinances, resolutions or contracts were recorded during the meeting transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Los Alamos County - Board of Public Utilities Work Session on 2025-06-04 5:30 PM - Jun 04, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the June 4 Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities meeting the board unanimously approved the meeting agenda and a closed‑session minutes statement about the May 21 session; both motions passed 4–0.","taxTitle","Los Alamos, New Mexico","taxId",51137,"location","New Mexico","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6526915,"Utilities Assistance Program: county reports $24,178 distributed to 81 customers since July 2024; fund balance about $23,352 in April",1027,6029000,7056000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3677171-9cd7e8e65cbe800d7944c92f812a7359&start=6029&end=7056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3677171-9cd7e8e65cbe800d7944c92f812a7359/thumbnail_6029000.jpg","/articles/6526915/New-Mexico/Utilities-Assistance-Program-county-reports-24178-distributed-to-81-customers-since-July-2024-fund-balance-about-23352-in-April","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6526915-0b32f4e5480eb653ea8c776a1ba2a77c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097284&Signature=NI~l6xCIK~OGAJZWQ5J7uDRBcWMr3HoajpG1~sLLRmFAculldB6h5gcO85~fYXXajgXnQCRiEzzsCacVeE6vRKzoT3Kitw1Fj0FFWtRcb3SRRDihXiCva~egL2SESnE5bXCgYLx6vKortSdPlj-D6X3WFInPk9vuUOr132W~zPcTOwp7CvFZkjr86RnHWR8wAi959ZbUMWP6AJXsJ9fSAenpBKHfudG4aQ7la2hkSV8R8HoWDu3KWLeyjMpeIt6jXa9LsoHP05QBbaY8H0L4H2QQJ53EUEftDocyS88GtLPZiZV3i6Ii4C6euX3rUozrkszFzIog0tWk81dPwhp8qA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Board of Public Utilities meeting on June 4, staff member Joanne presented an annual review of the Utilities Assistance Program (UAP), reporting that since July 2024 the utility has distributed $24,178 in assistance to 81 customers and had a fund balance of $23,352 as of April 2025.

The UAP is funded entirely by customer donations and serves low‑income residential customers and one‑time hardship cases. Joanne summarized three program variants: winter assistance (October–March), year‑round assistance (customers qualifying via SSI or equivalent), and one‑time assistance (up to $350 per event, available once in a rolling 12‑month window). She said the program’s eligibility for winter assistance uses a local median income cutoff set at 50% of area median household income; the CDP median figure used for qualification will be updated in October to reflect recent census data.

Program and donation data presented: since July 2024 the utility distributed $24,178 of UAP funds to 81 customers; breakdown by program was about 39% year‑round assistance, 41% winter assistance and 20% one‑time assistance. The UAP fund began fiscal year 07/01/2024 with $19,670 and stood at $23,352 in April 2025. Joanne noted other community programs that assist utility customers and reported referral numbers: LAHEAP provided $5,810 since July and LA Cares provided $26,119 in the same period (these are separate assistance programs operated outside the utility’s UAP).

Donation options and controls: customers can give by monthly bill designation, one‑time remittance, or by shopping branded merchandise; donations placed on the utility bill are added to the UAP fund. Board members pressed staff about reactivating an online donation option through the utility’s credit‑card portal; staff said the portal was disabled after fraud attempts where declined credit‑card test transactions caused administrative problems. County staff and board members discussed whether a secure, reenabled credit‑card donation flow with account designators could be implemented; the county’s credit‑card processor also has rules limiting what transactions the utility may accept through that system, County staff said.

Board comments and public compliment: several board members praised the program and encouraged staff to explore secure online donation re‑enablement. A public commenter later in the meeting complimented the water department for prompt leak detection and customer service; that comment was not related to the UAP presentation.

Ending: Joanne closed by describing simple donation options (monthly bill, remittance slip, or merchandise purchases) and invited questions. Board members asked staff to research secure re‑enablement of online donations and to confirm any legal or systems limits with the county’s payment processor.","At the June 4 Board of Public Utilities meeting, staff presented the annual review of the Utilities Assistance Program (UAP), reporting donations, assistance totals, and options for donating; board members asked about restoring a secure payment portal and possible coordination with local nonprofits.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6526920,"Board hears interim electrification study showing up to about 44 MW additional peak load under high scenario",3567,214000,3781000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3677171-9cd7e8e65cbe800d7944c92f812a7359&start=214&end=3781","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3677171-9cd7e8e65cbe800d7944c92f812a7359/thumbnail_214000.jpg","/articles/6526920/New-Mexico/Board-hears-interim-electrification-study-showing-up-to-about-44-MW-additional-peak-load-under-high-scenario","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6526920-a762375029620194a2cf27add14b0519/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097284&Signature=F0RZKcJikZRRRiICzzWdPF-YTQOkZ~BJCfRSULHV3y0As8OlL8t3~qWjQ77lvSMLV5LAAhwGhN136W3SJ6f-5P-eD9ShOz~NRs-umBpOflPlf6WQEJSPAS1jkERaYWOX-1AqFDLdSEMoWZychVNtHMzrN1LuCV1gkwcE1qH2U9jCW2FxHI-XAio97OgSMbgXL25iNDjMfB38-cCmoMOsKrPIJ7PWlYJBEyqSf2MRQ4ksscVltQ~Gze-krmsHXthVb6AUrs5lY4FCYmikl6jsV80xB5uDiLco4ZSE3yjPdJ7c9Bn9tXxAqQ4OMlE3jBptaOLNhijiQrrddMw3GJzwYg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities Chair Gibson heard an interim report on June 4 from consultants Jacob Wells and Elliot Popel on a 30-year electrification forecast and its distribution-grid impacts. The consultants presented three scenarios — high, medium and low — projecting additional total peak load by 2055 ranging from about 13.5 megawatts (low) to roughly 44 megawatts (high), with a middle case near 28 megawatts.

The board was told the study models both vehicle electrification and building electrification together and separates the expected contributions. In the high scenario the consultants attributed roughly 22.4 MW of the increase to electric-vehicle charging and about 33.3 MW to electrified building loads; the mid and low scenarios show smaller contributions (EVs: 18.2 MW and 8.1 MW; buildings: 18.7 MW and 9.9 MW). “The technology that you need to accomplish this is commercially available, widely available, and it is very achievable,” Elliot Popel said, summarizing why the county’s climate goals are feasible but will require grid preparation.

Why this matters: consultants and board members said the county’s primary near-term constraint is substation capacity rather than the longer distribution feeders. The study’s initial power-flow modeling — updated to reflect the upcoming LASS (Los Alamos) substation being energized — showed feeders are relatively lightly loaded today but that substation capacity and service transformers (the equipment that serves small groups of homes) are the parts of the system most likely to need upgrades if electrification proceeds as modeled.

Consultants described key assumptions and timing that drive the forecasts. Scenario inputs include building-efficiency improvements of +20% (high), +10% (medium) and 0% (low); solar and behind-the-meter battery adoption (high case assumes as much as 50% of homes with solar and up to 20% with battery storage in some discussion); and differing EV adoption curves. The study uses a 30% diversity factor for coincident EV charging, and assumes about 80% of EV charging will occur at home. The consultants also modeled charging behavior in three buckets: roughly 30% of drivers plug in and begin charging immediately on arrival, about 40% schedule charging to occur later (often overnight), and the remainder rely on slower level‑1 charging.

On daily timing, the consultants reported winter peak demand shifts: space‑heating loads for electrified homes rise overnight and into the early morning, producing a modeled system peak near 6 a.m. in the high scenario; scheduled EV charging produces a separate peak around 1 a.m. that can coincide with heating loads. Jacob Wells said those differing peaks mean the summed total is not simply a straight addition of EV and building peaks because they occur at different hours.

On specific system impacts and mitigations, consultants said:
- Initial power-flow runs show the town-site feeders have spare capacity, and energizing a new substation will reduce feeder loading and outage impact; however, substation transformer capacity is a pinch point for future growth.
- Service transformers and secondary conductors (the hardware from the transformer to individual homes) are likely to see the most localized overloads and may need upgrades as vehicles with higher-power chargers become common. The consultant team said they will estimate how many service transformers may need replacement as an output of the final report.
- Hosting-capacity mapping is planned to identify how much additional rooftop solar each line section can accept before voltage, equipment loading, or protection limits are exceeded. Consultants said protection settings and two‑way power flow are likely to limit solar hosting capacity on some circuits.

Board members asked about several assumptions, including the reasonableness of 50% rooftop-solar penetration in the high case and whether the study accounts for local garage/parking patterns that affect home charging access. Consultants said the 50% solar figure is an optimistic boundary condition and that newer permitting trends could push solar uptake, but stressed the three-scenario approach is meant to bound possible outcomes. Board members also discussed winter charging behavior and the potential effects of a planned time-of-use rate the county may consider — the consultants said such rates tend to sharply shift charging to the discounted hours and can create “cliffs” in hourly load.

Next steps and timeline: the consultants said they will deliver a full draft to the Department of Utilities and the BPU by July 9, plan to return in person on July 16 for additional discussion, and aim for a middle‑July to end‑of‑July final report delivery. The forthcoming report will include the power‑flow results, hosting‑capacity maps by line segment, planning recommendations (substation/transmission needs, feeder or conductor upgrades, voltage regulation, switchgear and protection updates), and staffing or budgetary implications for the utility.

The presentation and questions took place during the June 4 meeting; board members indicated they want earlier access to draft chapters where possible so they can review assumptions and underlying data in more depth before the July meetings. The consultants said they will provide intermediate chapters for review in mid‑June and follow up with detailed assumptions used in the forecast.

Ending: The consultants told the board the analysis is still in progress and aimed to identify a set of common system improvements that would be required under multiple scenarios; they emphasized substation capacity and service‑level equipment replacement as priorities for planning and budgeting over the coming decades.","Consultants told the Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities on June 4 that electrifying transportation and buildings could add roughly 13.5–44 megawatts of peak load by 2055 across three scenarios, and that substation capacity and service transformers are the most likely pinch points for the county’s grid.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves agenda and closed-session minutes statement (both 4–0)

Utilities Assistance Program: county reports $24,178 distributed to 81 customers since July 2024; fund balance about $23,352 in April

Board hears interim electrification study showing up to about 44 MW additional peak load under high scenario