Utah regulators hear Corix’s bid to run district heating and cooling utility for Utah City; Division and OCS recommend approval

Corix Utah City Heating and Cooling LLC asked the Utah Public Service Commission on Dec. 5 to grant a certificate of public convenience and necessity to operate a regulated district heating and cooling utility for the Utah City development in Vineyard, Utah. Jason Michael Owen, Corix’s vice president for project development, told the commission the Utah City District Energy Utility (UCDEU) would be built in phases and could serve roughly 16,000,000 square feet of residential space and 1,600,000 square feet of commercial space at full buildout.

Owen said the system will deliver up to 58 megawatts of heating and 81 megawatts of cooling capacity from centralized plants distributed through a four-pipe network to building-level energy transfer stations. "UCDEU is a proposed regulated thermal energy utility that will provide centralized heating and cooling services to the Utah City development in Vineyard, Utah," Owen said. He described modular interim energy centers leading to permanent plants, with the first interim center scheduled for service in March 2026.

The Division of Public Utilities and the Office of Consumer Services both reviewed Corix’s filings and recommended the commission approve the CPCN. Ron Slusher, a utility technical consultant for the Division, said the Division reviewed the application, related…