Council approves Fremont solar PPA; IPA director outlines regional energy projects and IPP transition

Beaver City’s council voted Sept. 23 to approve a resolution authorizing a Fremont solar power purchase agreement (PPA) project under the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) master power agreement and heard a detailed update from Les Williams, the city’s IPA representative, on regional energy projects and near-term power-cost pressures.

The council adopted Resolution 9-23-2025 A after a presentation that described the Fremont project as a solar-plus-battery PPA. Les Williams and city staff said the project includes a 99-megawatt solar array and battery storage that will add roughly four hours of battery-backed output after solar production declines. Williams described the PPA as a 25-year take-or-pay contract and said the solar component would be purchased at $35.45 per megawatt-hour under the current terms; he said battery services were priced at $13.50 per kilowatt-month under the presented schedule. He also noted a contractual penalty clause if the project fails to reach commercial operation.

Williams used the presentation to update the council on several regional energy items: a conversion of IPP units from coal to natural gas with unit 3 reaching substantial completion at the end of the month and commercial operation expected about Oct. 29 and subsequent unit milestones in November/December; delays and cost pressures on wind projects; active geothermal prospects (Rotherm and Coldfork) progressing slowly; and the city’s participation in a base power project in American Falls, Idaho. He said hydropower outages and a temporary call-back of IPP power earlier in the year contributed to higher recent bills and stressed the operational trade-offs of calling back six-month blocks of replacement power.

During the PPA discussion Williams and staff outlined several commercial details: the PPA price, the 25-year term, that the project is a UAMPS member transaction and that the batteries would provide additive hours to solar output rather than full baseload power. Council and staff discussed whether to take additional subscription capacity on the battery component and where the array will be sited (just southeast/southwest of the local rest area, per Williams). Williams said construction activity had started in the field and that the developer would complete the project on an expected December schedule; he said the contract includes remedies if the project does not reach completion.

Council member Lance Cox moved to approve Resolution 9-23-2025 A and Council member Owen Spencer seconded. The council then conducted a roll-call vote: Owen Spencer, yes; Lance Cox, yes; Tyler Schema, yes; Allison Webb, yes; Randy Hunter, yes. Mayor declared the resolution approved.

Williams also said the city could add subscription capacity for the battery during final contract signing and asked staff to coordinate with UAMPS and the project developer to finalize subscription details. The council directed staff to return any final financial attachments or subscription amounts for review before the city executes the final PPA signature.