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Los Alamos BPU recommends one-month Tenaska power purchase agreement, forwards to county council
Summary
The Board of Public Utilities voted 5-0 to recommend a one-month power purchase agreement with Tenaska Power Services Company totaling $529,112.80 (including contingency) and forwarded the recommendation to county council after a public commenter raised concerns about document access.
The Los Alamos County Board of Public Utilities on Feb. 4 recommended that the County Council approve a one-month power purchase agreement (PPA) with Tenaska Power Services Company, forwarding the matter to council after a unanimous board vote.
Ben (staff) told the board the proposed contract would cover roughly 22 megawatts "around the clock" for one month under the WSPP master agreement and warned the exact price is not fixed until signing. He said the staff report contains the full details and that staff planned a contingency for price movement.
During public comment, Joni Ahrens of Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety said she was unable to access the PPA attachment on the referenced WSPP web site and urged better public access to documents, noting the county could spend more than $500,000 for the 30-day purchase. The chair responded that public comment is not a Q&A but offered a follow-up by email to help her access the material.
Board members asked technical and contractual questions about the WSPP framework, and Ben explained WSPP is a master agreement that lets signatory parties, including the county and Tenaska, engage in expedited bilateral power transactions under standard terms. He also told the board that short-term prices for the purchase were currently "in that $30 plus or minus range" per megawatt-hour, substantially lower than the county's prior contract.
After discussion, a motion (speaker 12) to recommend approval of the PPA in the amount of $423,112.80 plus a contingency of $106,000 (total $529,112.80) plus applicable gross receipts tax passed on a 5-0 roll-call vote and will be forwarded to the Los Alamos County Council for final approval.
The board record shows no amendment to the motion. The next step is council review of the recommended contract; the BPU did not vote on final execution authority during the meeting.
