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Bronwyn's Council Preview |
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or watch the meeting live on Mediacom Channel 12
Usually some of the agenda items will have a period where members of the public may briefly speak to Council.
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Send email to MayorCouncil@AmesCityCouncil.org
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MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
This Ames City Council meeting is at 6:00 at City Hall. The council meeting agenda includes the following. Note that you can generally click on individual agenda items below to get the full staff report or other explanation.
- 2. New Thermal Generation Project Update.
The City's Electric Utility provides electricity to just under 30K customers across the city including residential, small and large commercial, and industrial users. The Electric Utility is required to maintain enough generation capacity to meet its peak need, which is currently 166.3 MW. Failure to maintain that generation capacity costs quite a lot of money, and it is only estimated to get more expensive in future years. We are currently only short by a little bit of capacity, but a few factors make new generation high priority. First, our current equipment is old, and has been worn down by the burning of RDF. (This is one of the reasons the City is moving to a new waste disposal strategy.) Unit 7 is nearing the end of its lifespan, and so new thermal generation is needed in the near future. Secondly, energy use is only expected to increase, meaning new peaks and new requirements for capacity. An initial rough estimate for a new production facility was $84 million, but a more recent more accurate estimate suggests this project might cost closer to $190 million. Staff outline how a project like this might be financed, including a combination of savings from dropping RDF and small annual rate increases. - 3.Solar Energy Project at Ames Municipal Airport.
In addition to additional thermal generation, the City is considering a PPA (power purchase agreement) with a company that would potentially build a solar array on land near the airport. In order to lock in incentives before they expire, the company in question needs to meet certain deadlines by summer. Staff are asking Council to weigh in before proceeding with negotiations.
Thanks for reading,
Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen
Ames City Council, Ward 1
