City utilities report 19.6 MW December peak, Grapevine substation progress and UAMPS pooling changes

Washington City utilities staff reported on a mix of system operations and near-term projects at the board’s January meeting, highlighting a December load peak of 19.6 megawatts, completion of below‑grade work at the Grapevine substation, and forthcoming amendments to the UAMPS pooling agreement that will shift procurement timelines and how the city operates local generators.

“Our December load peak was 19.6 megawatts,” Rick, a utilities staff member presenting the update, said, noting that number is roughly one megawatt higher than the previous high in 2022 and that mild temperatures limited greater demand. He told the board the department has begun work on the fiscal‑year 2027 budget and has submitted capital projects, with additional budget materials expected by mid‑to‑late March.

Why it matters: the procurement and scheduling changes under the UAMPS proposal would move resource decisions earlier in the planning process and reduce day‑of flexibility, which can alter when the city chooses to dispatch its local generators. That could affect operating costs, the city’s ability to respond to short‑term price spikes and long‑term planning for capital projects.

Major updates and operational details

- Generation and maintenance: Staff are addressing recurring wiring failures on engine‑mounted junction boxes by relocating boxes away from vibrating engines and using flexible umbilical connections. Two of three backup engines remain operable; unit 1 is still down. "We're relocating a box that was mounted directly on the engine," Rick said, describing the corrective work.

- Grapevine substation and transmission work: Below‑grade conduit, grounding grid and foundations at the Grapevine substation are complete; city crews will complete the above‑grade construction over the coming year as materials arrive. About 15 transmission structures have been set along the parkway to feed the substation; the board was told St. George crews provided crane support for several larger poles.

- Well‑line work in tortoise habitat: Crews will rebuild an aging well line running through a protected tortoise habitat. Staff said they have a short construction window through mid‑February to avoid tortoise activity and are awaiting final SITLA easement paperwork before crews can begin work on the scheduled Monday. Project staff will add fire‑protection mesh around wood poles and install raptor‑deterrent brackets; habitat managers are paying roughly $2,025 for the raptor materials.

- Meters and solar: Deployments of advanced meters exceeded about 1,100, enabling remote read, disconnect and reconnect functions that staff said are improving operational efficiency. On solar, December had only three new applications (one an upgrade) but staff processed roughly 100 activations from previously completed installations; for all of 2025 staff reported 58 solar applications, about 23 of which were upgrades or additions.

- Outages and demand spikes: A roughly 40‑minute circuit outage in late December was traced to wildlife (a bird) shorting equipment; crews transferred load and installed bird guards and planned a terminator replacement within a week. Separately, the Tesla fast‑charging site behind the Costa Vita development has driven weekend demand spikes approaching 1.5 megawatts.

- UAMPS pooling agreement changes: Staff flagged a likely amendment to the UAMPS (Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems) pooling agreement that the board can expect in February or March. Under the proposed approach, UAMPS would procure up to 80% of a member’s year‑ahead forecast and up to 100% one month out; members could opt out of some year‑ahead procurement but not the one‑month‑out procurement tied to regional market scheduling. "Our biggest question ... is how to operate our generators in this new environment," Rick said, explaining that earlier procurement decisions and two‑day scheduling windows will change day‑of operations and the timing of resource‑efficiency tests.

- Plant projects and procurement issues: The combustion turbine at the Veil plant is back online in simple‑cycle mode after repairs; the steam turbine remains under repair and is expected to return in April–May, with the plant operating at lower capacity in the interim. For a federally funded rebuild project (Yuri area), staff selected an apparent low bidder but must receive Build America, Buy America (BABA) compliance documentation before issuing a purchase order; transformers and other long‑lead items showed lead times near 13–14 weeks.

- Horse Butte wind project and regulatory costs: Rick said an Idaho law change requires aircraft‑detection systems that keep turbine lights off until aircraft approach (dark‑sky–compliant operation). He estimated such FAA‑approved systems could cost roughly $1 million to $2 million and cautioned those costs will be reflected in project power costs.

Board actions and next steps

Board members approved the meeting minutes and later approved last month’s minutes by voice vote during routine procedural items. No operational actions were finalized; staff said the pooling‑agreement amendment will return to the board for potential approval in February or March. The board adjourned with the next regular meeting scheduled for Feb. 3.

What remains unresolved

Staff emphasized uncertainty around regional market rule changes and tariff provisions that can affect long‑lead generation projects (many of which include price‑index or tariff clauses for multi‑year delivery windows). The full operational impact of the proposed UAMPS procurement changes — particularly how often the city would need to change generator schedules earlier — will depend on details staff said they are still working to flush out with UAMPS and regional partners.

Reporting note: quotes and factual items are drawn from the board transcript; where a speaker was identified only by first name in the transcript, the article uses the same first‑name reference combined with a generic staff designation to avoid inventing titles or surnames.