Placentia authorizes release of electric load data to Orange County Power Authority for feasibility study

Placentia Nov. 4, 2025 The City Council unanimously authorized the city administrator to request Southern California Edison release the city's historical electrical load data to the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) so the agency can complete a feasibility study on potential membership.

OCPA CEO Joe Mosca and Director of Communications Jackie Henderson presented the study framework and community programs during a lengthy study session. Mosca described OCPA as a community choice aggregator formed under AB 117 and said it purchases generation on behalf of municipal and retail customers while Southern California Edison continues to deliver electricity and maintain infrastructure. "AB 117 allows your community to choose the electric provider that they wish to have and also the types of energy that they want purchased on their behalf," Mosca said.

Henderson outlined OCPA's customer programs, including past EV charger vouchers and a solar battery rebate, and said the agency currently budgets about $1,200,000 for customer programs this year with plans to grow that to $2,200,000 by fiscal 2031. She also described an opt-out consumer notification process: customers are automatically enrolled in a CCA if their city joins but may opt out during a two-month notice period and at any time thereafter.

Mosca presented three energy product tiers OCPA offers: a base product that he said meets the state Renewable Portfolio Standard (about 47% qualifying renewables), a "Smart Choice" premium (described as about 55% renewable and 40% carbon-free), and a 100% qualified renewable product. He said OCPA's basic product was roughly 3 percent less than SCE on the generation portion of the bill, which Mosca characterized as a modest savings that varies by customer tariff.

Council members pressed OCPA on program costs, governance and repayment of Irvine's startup contribution. Mosca said Irvine's initial contribution includes a $5 million collateral that will be used to make scheduled repayments and that the JPA expects to complete payback by January 2027. On governance, Mosca said member cities appoint representatives to OCPA's board and that active participation varies by city.

After questions about timing and costs, the council voted 5-0 to authorize the city administrator to work with OCPA and SCE to obtain the city's load data. Mosca said the city-directed data pull would probably not be available until early 2026, with a feasibility analysis completed "probably around April, May" 2026.

Next steps: staff will request the historical load data from SCE and OCPA will produce a feasibility report for council review.