UAMPS outlines optional all‑requirements membership; Hurricane told it would be a long‑term commitment
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Summary
UAMPS presented an optional all‑requirements project that would place procurement responsibility with UAMPS for participating members. Members would generally commit on long terms (roughly 25 years) with an exit/buyout mechanism; exclusions would include internal generation and rooftop solar.
UAMPS staff described an optional all‑requirements membership model that would contract UAMPS to procure nearly all wholesale power for participating members. The proposal is an optional project; individual councils would decide whether to join.
How it would work: Under all‑requirements membership, UAMPS would plan and procure resources on behalf of participating cities using annual integrated procurement plans and a project management committee to approve strategy and purchases. The contract term staff described is on the order of 20–25 years for new generation procurement to match typical project financing horizons. Excluded resources would include existing internal generation and rooftop solar.
Member exit and governance: Staff said buyouts would be possible but not easy: example provisions modeled on existing all‑requirements contracts include multi‑year notice requirements and buyout calculations based on procured resources. "A member can get out of the all‑requirements project through a buyout provision," Mason said; staff expects the buyout to be visible and structured but not inexpensive.
Why some members want it: UAMPS staff said the membership interest comes from cities that prefer to outsource routine procurement and forecasting work to a central team rather than manage annual procurements and monthly market activity themselves. That administrative relief can be attractive to rapidly growing cities with limited utility staff.
Council process: UAMPS will circulate drafts to members and municipal attorneys; staff said the goal is to finalize agreements and circulate them in early 2026, then return to councils with formal adoption packages. Participation is optional — each member must decide whether the model suits its needs.
Quote: "The main purpose of the all requirements project is it's gonna be looking at procuring resource for those members that are participating," Mason said. "A member can get out of the all requirements project through a buyout provision."