Board of Public Utilities lays out electrification study, ECA renewal and solar-storage timeline

Robert Gibson, chair of the county Board of Public Utilities, told the council the board is focused on maintaining reliable service while preparing the electric system for wider electrification and carbon-free resources.

"First and foremost, we want to maintain a high level of service at reasonable cost today and tomorrow," Gibson said, outlining the board's twin goals: a transition to carbon-free electric supply and a plan to phase out natural gas where feasible.

Gibson summarized a set of near- and mid-term activities: an electrification study that will inform distribution upgrades, an EV-infrastructure study led by the county sustainability coordinator, and a customer gas‑use study due next summer. He warned that some key external processes were delayed: the Energy Coordination Agreement (ECA) with Los Alamos National Laboratory and DOE is still awaiting review in DOE, and a major solar-plus-storage project known as Foxtail Flats is delayed pending a NEPA finding of no significant impact (FONSI).

Why it matters: The county's electric system faces higher projected peak loads if buildings and vehicle fleets shift from gas to electric power. Gibson said the present peak capacity is about 20 megawatts and that electrification scenarios could roughly double or triple peak demand, requiring new substations, feeder upgrades and other distribution investments.

Notable items Gibson described

- Electrification and distribution study: Staff will present a draft of an electrification study to the board; Gibson said the report clarifies that much of the next 30-year cost is renewing existing distribution capacity, not only adding new capacity to meet electrification demand. The report estimates the system must be able to meet much earlier morning peaks as heating electrifies.

- Energy Coordination Agreement (ECA) with LANL: Gibson said the ECA renewal, an agreement that coordinates pooled electric resources with the laboratory, has been in DOE review for over a year. "The current extension goes to December and already we're starting to be concerned about the about time running short," Gibson said.

- Foxtail Flats solar + storage: The county is a participant in Foxtail Flats, a large solar and storage project. Gibson said the developer is awaiting NEPA approval and a FONSI; without that decision, other planning and final business arrangements are paused.

- Other resources and studies: The board is tracking Cove Fort, an advanced geothermal project through UAMPS in central Utah, which would provide a small baseload share to the county if transmission can be secured. Gibson also noted the county will look at options including market purchases, hydroelectric contracts and storage technologies.

Councilor queries addressed funding, grid balancing and near-term timelines. Gibson said the county's utility budget is "a little over a $100,000,000 a year" and that staff headcount is roughly 100. He said distribution upgrades will likely require one or more new substations (including an east-end substation) and significant investments to handle higher peak loads.

Ending

Gibson said the utility is operating safely and that several studies will inform council decisions later this year and next on how to fund and phase distribution upgrades and procure new carbon-free resources.