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Council adopts Murray City Power 2026 Master Plan outlining $32M capital needs and central substation upgrade
Summary
Murray City Council approved the 2026 Power Master Plan, which projects peak demand rising from ~104 MW to ~131 MW by 2065, flags EV adoption as the largest long-term uncertainty, and lists roughly $32 million in potential capital projects through 2040 including a central substation upgrade and a Fremont solar PPA.
The Murray City Council adopted the city’s first Power Master Plan on Thursday, approving a multi-decade blueprint intended to guide investments in generation and distribution capacity.
Presenter Greg Balon told the council the utility serves about 21,000 customers across roughly 94 miles of distribution and that planning horizons extend to 2065. “We’re at about 104 megawatts right now,” Balon said, estimating a potential peak of roughly 131 megawatts by 2065. The plan identifies electric vehicle adoption as a major uncertainty that could substantially raise residential peak demand.
The plan lists roughly $32 million in possible capital work through 2040. Balon said about $11.2 million could be covered by bonds, developers might pay almost $6 million in impact fees, and the remainder (about $15.4 million in a worst-case scenario) would be the utility’s responsibility. The figure includes possible transformer replacements, feeder-line upgrades, a hydro turbine replacement, and a building of vehicle storage and maintenance space.
Near-term projects called out in the presentation include a central substation upgrade expected to be completed by mid-2028 (which will add transformer capacity), the Fremont solar PPA slated for 2028, and AMI installation expected to finish this year. Balon said the central substation will receive two new transformers arriving by March 2028, relieving load on the existing equipment.
Council moved to adopt the resolution and approved it by voice vote (recorded as a 3–0 tally on the meeting record).
Why it matters: The plan sets capital priorities for the utility and frames rate and impact-fee work tied to growth and resilience. City staff said the master plan will feed a concurrent rate study and power-impact-fee review.
What’s next: Staff will use the plan for capital prioritization, update the power impact fee, and align the plan with the ongoing comprehensive rate study. The council indicated the plan will be reviewed every five years per code.
