Denton Municipal Electric reviews 2018 renewable goal, urges clearer policy and an integrated resource plan

Denton Municipal Electric general manager Tony Fuente told the Sustainability Framework Advisory Committee on Aug. 22 that the utility's 2018 Renewable Resource Plan set a 100% renewable-energy goal for DME's service territory and that the utility must clarify how that goal is calculated and accounted for.

Fuente said the city's renewable target, as written in 2018, applied only to the service territory served by Denton Municipal Electric and not to customers served by other utilities in Denton. He summarized recent accounting decisions the city used to reach its stated 100% renewable figure and the market and reliability concerns driving a proposed integrated resource plan.

Why it matters: The committee was presented with a draft renewable-energy policy and the outline of an IRP process that staff said could take 18–24 months and would guide long-term choices about generation mix, reliability and cost. Staff warned that without clearer policy, double-counting of renewable energy credits (RECs) or exposure to volatile market prices could raise costs for ratepayers.

DME's accounting and market context Tony Fuente, general manager for Denton Municipal Electric (DME), told the committee that the 2018 plan called for a 100% renewable target for DME's customers. He said that in 2021 the utility's accounting — counting generation associated with owned PPAs plus additional REC purchases and…