Plumas County board asks counsel to review Engie energy project after cost, scope and local-contractor concerns

Plumas County supervisors on March 4 instructed county counsel and the county’s facilities director to review the county’s energy-savings agreement with Engie after multiple officials and members of the public raised concerns about project costs, contract scope and contractor selection.

The board’s discussion focused on the implementation phase of the “NG” energy project, which authorized LED lighting, HVAC replacements, generators and a solar array across county facilities. Facilities Director Nick Collin told the board Engie crews are replacing lighting at the courthouse annex and that plans for the solar portion have been submitted to the county’s building department. Collin and other speakers flagged concerns about high equipment and subcontractor charges, limited change-order budgeting, and generator run-time specifications that may not meet emergency needs.

The county’s auditor and treasurer said they had warned staff during earlier financing discussions and asked for more…