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Marin Energy Authority outlines launch plan, warns of utility-funded opposition
Summary
Marin Energy Authority chair Charles MacLachlan told San Francisco officials Marin will launch a default "light green" product with 25% renewables at no premium, targets 50% by 2015 and 100% by 2016, aims to be operational June 1 and urged attention to PG&E-funded opposition and a ballot measure risk.
Charles MacLachlan, chairman of the Marin Energy Authority, told the joint LAFCO-SFPUC meeting that Marin intends to launch a default "light green" CCA product guaranteeing 25% renewable content with no cost premium and offer an opt-up "deep green" 100% product at roughly a 7% premium.
"Our business plan target is to be 50% renewable by 2015 and 100 percent renewable by 2016," MacLachlan said, adding that Marin's plan initially relies on brokered purchases of existing renewable power with a future goal of substituting that supply with locally developed projects through a resource-substitution clause in its contract.
Marin's schedule calls for board approval of its power purchase and service agreements on Feb. 4 and an operational launch for a Phase 1 group of accounts around June 1. MacLachlan said Marin remains on track to meet those dates while continuing to pursue grant funding for smart-grid and efficiency programs and pursue local solar, landfill methane and other renewable projects.
He warned attendees of active opposition funded by the incumbent utility: "PG and E has qualified a ballot measure that installs a new two-thirds voting requirement for citizens in any area that wants to expand service," MacLachlan said, and described mailers and a PG&E-funded organization called Common Sense Marin that he said had circulated marketing pieces urging ratepayers to opt out prematurely.
MacLachlan described steps Marin took to manage legal and financial risk, including clarifying JPA and contract language to limit exposure of general funds and extensive public outreach: "We had 30 to 50 public meetings throughout Marin County" to vet the program he said, adding that eight of nine original members still remained.
Why this matters: Marin--an adjacent jurisdictionis already operationalizing its CCA and its decisions on procurement structure, customer service responsibilities and local project strategy offer a contrast to San Francisco's approach and a potential partner for regional coordination.
What to watch: Marin's Feb. 4 contract action, its June operational target and the statewide ballot measure and PG&E-funded outreach that MacLachlan said could alter expansion rules or public perception.
