Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board authorizes town administrator to accept bids for electricity-aggregation contract
Summary
Peregrine Energy Group updated the board on Bellingham Power Choice, reporting about $5.6 million in cumulative savings since launch. The board authorized the town administrator to accept supplier bids and sign a contract to replace the current agreement that expires in December.
Consultant Paul Groomer of Peregrine Energy Group updated the board on Bellingham’s municipal aggregation program and requested authorization for the town administrator to accept competitive supplier bids and sign a contract for the program.
Groomer said the aggregation program, which launched in 2017, serves about 60% of the town’s electricity accounts and has saved customers “$5,600,000 compared to the Eversource basic service price.” He explained the supplier-bid process is time-sensitive—supplier offers are valid only for a few hours in a volatile market—and recommended the board authorize the town administrator to accept a favorable bid and sign the supplier contract to preserve program continuity when the current contract expires in December.
A motion was made to authorize the town administrator to accept bids and sign the electricity-supply contract. After brief discussion about term length (the consultant recommended one-year terms given market volatility), the board voted by roll call to authorize the administrator to accept bids and execute the contract.
The authorization allows staff to run a competitive procurement and secure a supplier on the market timeline; the board left the contract term to the administrator and his designee to decide after reviewing bids.
