Committee approves advertisement of RFQ to hire renewable energy manager

The Sweetwater Authority Finance and Administration Committee voted unanimously on Monday, May 19, 2025, to direct the general manager to advertise a request for qualifications (RFQ) to contract a renewable energy manager to develop a renewable energy plan and related technical studies.

The item responds to the expiration of a prior term sheet with Nori Energy and seeks an outside consultant to produce seven technical memoranda, lead workshops and public outreach, and deliver an administrative draft and final renewable energy plan to guide the authority’s future projects and purchases.

Sayed, a staff presenter, told the committee that the scope of work would “review what we've done in the past,” prepare a series of technical memoranda and draft a renewable energy plan the governing board could adopt or use selectively. The RFQ scope calls for assessments of scenarios to achieve carbon neutrality, evaluations of energy-efficiency projects and alternative purchasing options, identification of regulatory challenges, resiliency recommendations, and assistance identifying grants and incentives.

Director Martinez praised the effort as a way to identify the projects that will “help our people the most” and urged staff to prioritize work that yields early, tangible results. The committee’s discussion noted existing efforts the authority has already undertaken, including a four-acre solar array at Reynolds T South, an onsite hydroelectric turbine, and electric-vehicle charging stations at administration, operations and the Purdue Water Treatment Plant; staff said they would provide a monetary estimate of savings from those projects as part of the study.

Committee members asked about timing and scope. Staff said they expect to advertise the RFQ if the governing board concurs, aim to return with a recommendation to select a consultant in about three months, and anticipate roughly six to eight months for the manager-led effort to develop the assessment and renewable energy plan; project permitting and implementation would require additional time and case-by-case approvals. Fiscal impacts were not specified in the committee record.

Mayor (committee chair) and other directors emphasized the importance of keeping deliverables broken into discrete, trackable pieces rather than a single, multi-year effort. One director noted that earlier work rejected proposals from Nori Energy in December and that an environmental impact report (EIR) would be appropriate after the renewable energy manager identifies a recommended project or projects.

A motion to direct the general manager to advertise the RFQ was made and seconded, and the secretary recorded unanimous “aye” votes from Director Martinez, Director Morrison and Director Imani. The committee will forward the recommendation to the full governing board for consideration.