Westerville staff previews plan to buy AFEC share, pursue local solar PPAs to reduce peak costs

Westerville electric utility staff on Jan. 14 told the City Council work session they are pursuing two major steps to reshape the city's power supply: assuming a portion of a long‑term, take‑or‑pay share in the AMP Fremont Energy Center (AFEC) and signing local solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) through Clean Energy Ventures to cut summer peak costs.

The presentation, led by Electric Utility Manager Chris Monticelli, said Westerville will move away from full‑requirements contracts that expire at the end of 2026 toward a diversified block‑and‑index portfolio. "We don't own any generations. So we purchase all of our energy and then supply it to our customers," Monticelli said, explaining why the city is seeking ownership shares and local solar to control cost and reliability.

Monticelli described AFEC as a combined‑cycle natural‑gas power plant in Fremont, Ohio, rated about 685 megawatts (up to roughly 745 MW at peak) and brought online in 2012. Under the AMP arrangement, participants take fixed percentage shares of the plant's output under a 35‑year take‑or‑pay contract that began in 2012; staff said some existing participants are offering to sell portions of their shares…