Healdsburg saves $5 million a year
Sustainable energy giant Northern California Power Agency is celebrating 50 years of bringing power to the people. Since 1968 the agency has provided service to northern California and its members.
The City of Healdsburg has been a member since NCPA’s first year and the joint venture has paid off big for the city, currently saving Healdsburg $5 million a year, according to Vice Mayor David Hagele.
“Being a part of NCPA has provided lower energy costs and access to environmentally sustainable energy resources,” he said. “As a member of NCPA, the City of Healdsburg has gained access to economic renewable energy projects that a city our size could not build by itself.”
The power is in the partnership. Hagele said by partnering with several other similarly-sized utilities, NCPA provides Healdsburg with reliable and sustainable energy resources.
Getting the energy needed to Healdsburg is also a team effort. Healdsburg works with other NCPA members to develop electric generation projects.
“Once the projects are built and operating, the energy is transferred to the city’s electric substation through California’s electric grid,” Hagele said. “From the substation, the city’s high-voltage linemen maintain over 60 miles of electric distribution lines, providing safe, reliable and affordable energy for Healdsburg’s residents and businesses.”
The benefits of utilizing NCPA continue to grow, but Hagele said for many, the biggest advantage is local control. Healdsburg electric rates are not set by the California Public Utilities Commission and do not include profits for shareholders.
Hagele said in the end, Healdsburg’s electric rates average 30 percent lower than Pacific Gas & Electric.
“Collectively, this saves Healdsburg $5 million each year. Or another way to look at it is, $5 million stays in our community,” he said.
The NCPA has constructed a fleet of power plants over the past four decades. In the early 1980s the agency developed two geothermal power plants that harness the power of the Geysers.
NCPA operates and maintains these plants, which provide reliable and affordable electricity to more than 600,000 Californians, according the NCPA website.
Providing sustainable energy has always been a priority for NCPA. In order to achieve the state of California’s goal of a 50 percent Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by 2030, NCPA uses a mix of geothermal, hydroelectric and natural gas resources.
The agency’s members collectively have spent more than $100 million on energy efficiency since 2006, according to the NCPA website. NCPA members include the cities of Alameda, Biggs, Gridley, Healdsburg, Lodi, Lompoc, Palo Alto, Redding, Roseville, Santa Clara, Shasta Lake and Ukiah, as well as the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Port of Oakland, the Truckee Donner Public Utility District and the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative.
Locally elected or appointed officials from member communities oversee NCPA. These leaders serve as the energy regulators in their cities, towns and districts, and volunteer their time for NCPA governance.
“Because these individuals live and work in close proximity to their consumers, and remain directly accountable for the utility service in their communities, they provide an extremely responsive and effective governing body. Over the years, they have fostered a culture of innovation and charted a visionary course of technological innovation and environmental leadership,” the NCPA website states.
