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Board recommends 2026–27 DOELAC resource pool budget, contingent on updated electric coordination agreement
Summary
The Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities voted 5–0 on May 21 to forward the DOELAC resource pool budget for fiscal years 2026–27 to county council, while making clear the recommendation is contingent on the terms of a replaced Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA).
Board of Public Utilities Chair Gibson and the board on May 21 voted 5–0 to recommend county council approval of the DOELAC resource pool budget for fiscal years 2026–27, but the board and staff made the recommendation contingent on the terms of a new Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA) expected to replace the current agreement before the extension ends Dec. 31, 2025.
The recommendation matters because the existing ECA — the agreement that governs cost and power coordination among participating utilities — will expire at the end of 2025 and the budget the board forwarded incorporates assumptions tied to the as‑yet‑unfinalized replacement agreement.
DPU staff noted the 2026–27 numbers are the same figures the board reviewed in April and that no substantive changes were made by the ECA operating committee during its most recent review. “There was no changes to the original budget that we presented to you in April. It was approved on Monday, through the ECA,” said Joanne, DPU staff, when the board asked whether the published materials had changed since the April briefing.
When a staff member read the motion to forward the proposed budget, the motion explicitly stated the budget recommendation was “contingent and dependent upon the terms and conditions of the future ECA, which is unknown at this time, and which may require future amendment to the 2026–27 resource pool budget that is recommended here.” The board voted to forward the budget to county council for review and approval.
Board action and vote: the board moved and seconded the motion to forward the 2026–27 DOELAC resource pool budget as presented. The roll call recorded Member Hollingsworth — yes; Member Heffner — yes; Member Nockley — yes; Member Schromberg — yes; Member Gibson (Chair) — yes. Outcome: approved by the Board of Public Utilities, 5–0; recommendation forwarded to county council.
What the board did not decide: the board did not adopt any changes to the budget itself beyond forwarding the recommendation, and it did not finalize or approve any replacement ECA language. Because the new ECA had not yet been finalized, staff and the board acknowledged the budget may require amendment once the ECA terms are known.
Next steps: staff will forward the recommended 2026–27 DOELAC resource pool budget to county council for review and approval. Any required amendments tied to the final ECA would be presented to the board and council as they become known.
