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Carbon County awards 42‑month electricity supply contract to Constellation New Energy
Summary
After running an online auction and reviewing bids, the commissioners awarded a 42‑month electricity supply contract to incumbent Constellation New Energy at $0.09723 per kilowatt‑hour and acknowledged prior auction steps; the county plans to e-sign the contract and begin supply with the July metering date.
The Carbon County Board of Commissioners voted to award a 42‑month electricity supply contract to Constellation New Energy at a rate of $0.09723 per kilowatt‑hour after an online auction of suppliers and a final review by county advisors.
County staff and their energy consultant ran an online bidder auction that tested 36‑, 42‑ and 48‑month terms; bids showed FreePoint Energy placed the low bid for the 36‑ and 48‑month terms while Constellation — the incumbent supplier — submitted the lowest bid for the 42‑month term. The consultant recommended the 42‑month Constellation proposal because it had the lowest price for that term, contract paperwork for Constellation was already in place for review, and Constellation had offered to attempt to waive an off‑cycle June capacity charge (about $2,400), which would further reduce the county’s cost if granted.
The board first acknowledged receipt of the electric provider proposals (agenda item 25-310) and then amended the agenda to add an award item. Under agenda item 25-311 the board voted to accept the 42‑month Constellation proposal; Commissioners Arner, Notestein and Safranco recorded affirmative votes.
An energy consultant for the county summarized the auction results: “If you're looking at the results here, this is kind of rank sorted by supplier in the first term low bid, which was FreePoint Energy. The 42 month is Constellation New Energy, who's the incumbent supplier. The 48 month goes back to FreePoint.” He said the county expects the contract to start with the July metering date and that the county is preparing an e‑signature execution of the agreement.
The consultant said the county ran an initial bid earlier in the week to narrow supplier interest and that participation for the final auction was strong. He said market timing aligned with their expectations and that, while capacity charges and other market components create uncertainty, the county felt the 42‑month Constellation bid best balanced price and contract readiness.
The meeting record shows the board also ratified a letter authorizing Apollo Edison through Ingram Engineering to conduct the online electric auction (agenda item 25‑309) earlier in the meeting prior to awarding the contract. The county will continue to review contract paperwork and complete e‑signature formalities before the contract goes into effect.
