Morgan City Council approves participation in Fremont solar project with battery storage

Morgan City Council approved a resolution Oct. 28 to participate in the Fremont solar power project operated through the Utah Association of Municipal Power Systems, committing Morgan to purchase generated power under the project’s transaction schedule.

The city will receive 200 kilowatts of generation with an option to expand to 400 kilowatts. The Fremont facility combines photovoltaic panels and battery storage; the batteries are sized for about four hours of discharge, which staff said will help shift daytime solar generation into evening hours. The council heard that the purchase will require no upfront capital from Morgan and that the anticipated delivered price is roughly $0.35 per kilowatt-hour.

“Solar is great, but when the sun’s shining we’re just overrun with solar,” Clark Crook, Morgan’s power superintendent, said during the presentation, describing batteries as the key to capturing daytime generation for later use. City staff and council members noted contractual “off-ramps” that would limit Morgan’s financial exposure if the project becomes fiscally unsound.

Councilmember Dave Alexander said he was reassured by staff’s explanation that Morgan would not own the project and therefore would not bear costs for equipment replacement and battery lifecycle issues. He noted Morgan’s interest in Fremont represents a small share of the overall project and that the arrangement is similar to past pooled-power transactions.

A motion to approve the resolution was made and seconded; a roll-call vote was taken and recorded as aye by councilmembers present, and the measure passed unanimously.

The council packet described the project schedule and the town’s share; staff said the plant is expected to begin commercial operations in 2027.