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Kanosh council votes to buy an 85‑kW share of Idaho wind project through UAMPS
Summary
The council voted to purchase a roughly 85‑kilowatt share (under 10% of the town’s usage) of a wind farm being offered by UAMPS, at an advertised rate of about 4¢ per kWh. Council members said the purchase is a low‑cost hedge against open-market peak pricing; a shared study cost was noted.
The Kanosh Town Council voted to buy a share of an Idaho wind project through the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), approving a participation level the presenter described as about 85 kilowatts.
Councilmember (speaker 6) told the council the wind farm currently generates about 64.5 megawatts from 43 turbines and that UAMPS recommended between 85 and 100 kilowatts for a town of Kanosh’s size; he said he selected the lower end of that range. He said UAMPS quoted an energy price of about 4¢ per kilowatt-hour for the wind share, about half of what the town paid recently on the open market (the six‑month average was discussed at roughly 7–8¢/kWh). He also said a shared, system‑level study would cost $6,500 across members.
Members discussed intermittency and how wind generation complements solar—picking up in the late afternoon when solar tapers off—and emphasized that this is a hedging strategy, not a replacement for base generation. Councilmember (speaker 6) said the proposal would cover part of Kanosh’s peak needs and reduce reliance on higher-priced spot market purchases when local plants are offline. Councilmember (speaker 5) asked about contingent costs and whether the 4¢ was per‑kWh regardless of overall member participation; presenter (speaker 6) said the 4¢ figure was presented without a stated contingency in the materials shared at the meeting.
A motion to purchase the wind power discussed was moved, seconded and adopted by voice vote. Mayor/Chair (speaker 2) thanked the presenter for the research and instructed staff to follow up with UAMPS on next steps and the study allocation.
