by Linda Chipperfield, Ozark Chapter ExCom
Springfieldians and City Utilities (CU) are searching for a solution to their growing energy needs and a decision isn’t likely to happen any time soon. After rushing their study to make possible a February 2006 bond issue, the Power Supply Community Task Force recommended a combination of sources that necessitates further research.
Their recommendation to build a coal-fired power plant and implement an energy conservation program opened a whole new series of questions. Is building a local plant more feasible than buying off the grid? Who would we buy from and how much would it cost? How does an effective conservation program work? And what will the voters approve?
What is known is this: a new 300 MW coal-burning plant could cost as much as $704 million in 2010. The price will go up if the Missouri Department of Natural Resources requires that CU build the cleanest possible plant as the Sierra Club has challenged in their permit appeal. And the price will go up again when control regulations on CO2 go into effect as is widely predicted.
CU plans to spend the next four months evaluating Request For Proposals (RFPs) from potential power suppliers with the help of energy consultant Black and Veatch. They will also hire a company to do a study on how to start an aggressive energy conservation program to reduce customer energy bills and lower the demand for power.
What they do next will depend on the results of the studies. The majority of the Task Force and many on the CU board support the construction of a new plant. But that will require a public vote — and a February bond issue looks highly unlikely at this point.
Southwest Missouri Citizens for Clean Energy, a coalition of groups including the Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, and the American Lung Association, welcomes the delay. They have advocated an energy solution that includes conservation, demand-side management, renewables, and small gas-fired peaking units if necessary as the most logical and conservative plan.
A public vote may not be required if a combination of sources like this is implemented. Direction by Springfield City Council could be what determines our energy future. Once the RFPs and study results are received in January 2006, Council meetings will be a “must see” event. Stay tuned.