October 14, 2006
Illinois
Illinois
City Water, Light and Power has received eight bids to provide wind energy and will send them to be evaluated by a Florida company that markets the city’s wholesale energy.
Once that company, The Energy Authority, reviews the proposals, CWLP will make a recommendation to Springfield aldermen, CWLP general manager Todd Renfrow said Friday.
Until that happens, CWLP will not make public the list of bidders or their prices, Renfrow said, because the proposals contain proprietary information.
Buying 120 megawatts of wind power capacity – 60 megawatts for the city’s use and another 60 for state government, which it will purchase from the city – is a provision in the now-defunct deal CWLP struck with the Sierra Club.
Three ordinances are pending that would re-enact the provisions of the deal, including the city’s purchase of wind power.
Renfrow said the city will not have to pay The Energy Authority for its evaluation of the bids, and it is not acting as a consultant.
“We’re just asking them for their opinion,” he said. “They understand it and probably have a little bit more information than we have. It’s something new to us. We want to be able to make sure we end up with the right one.”
Much of the controversy over the Sierra Club deal had to do with buying wind power, especially when CWLP is building a new power plant that will more than meet Springfield’s needs. Now that the wind bids are in, the city should have a better idea of exactly how costly such a purchase will be.
Renfrow declined to comment on whether the initial projection that a 10-year wind power contract would cost $8 million was on target.
He said he believes it will take The Energy Authority two weeks to evaluate the proposals the city has received. Once CWLP recommends a bid, Renfrow said he “believes” the other bids will be made public.
By Chris Wetterich, Staff Writer
Chris Wetterich can be reached at 788-1523 or chris.wetterich@sj-r.com.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2006/10/14/cwlp-sends-wind-energy-bids-for-review/