Lake County supervisors direct staff to seek Sonoma Clean Power feasibility study on joining CCA; geothermal development discussed

The Lake County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 27 directed staff to request that Sonoma Clean Power update a feasibility study on whether Lake County should join a community choice aggregator, a step county staff and the CCA said would let the county evaluate potential rate and program benefits and local participation in geothermal development.

The feasibility request follows earlier studies done for the county in 2019 and 2020, which found Sonoma Clean Power's expected rates then would have been about 5% to 8% higher than Pacific Gas & Electric for Lake County customers. Matthew Rothstein, chief deputy county administrative officer, told the board the landscape has changed since 2020 — including regulatory shifts that affect the power charge indifference adjustment — and that Sonoma Clean Power has offered to update its analysis.

Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) Chief Executive Officer Jeff Cyphers and county economic-development deputy Benjamin (Ben) Rickleman outlined what SCP said it could add if Lake County joined: customer programs aimed at lowering bills, in-region procurement opportunities that could let residents use power generated locally, and a partnership role in steering new geothermal development so projects meet local environmental and community standards.

"We cannot promise cost savings," Cyphers said, adding candidly that SCP had been cheaper than investor-owned utilities in a…