Council stalls vote to join SOPEC aggregation; officials debate price, governance and timing

The City Council on Monday received a presentation from the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC) about a proposed electric aggregation program and the plan of operation and governance for joining the council-of-governments model. Council discussion focused on whether the city had evaluated enough options and whether the agreement would produce the most competitive price for residents.

Phil Leppla, SOPEC deputy director and general counsel, described SOPEC as “a regional council of governments under chapter 167 of the Ohio Revised Code” and outlined the organization’s structure, governance, and energy programs. He said SOPEC represents 49 communities and aggregates roughly 1.2 terawatt-hours of annual load, which the group uses to pursue bulk supply contracts and, by…