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Resource$mart energy buy-back program extended

Chelan County PUD
News Release
8/13/2007

Commissioners Monday extended the PUD’s commercial and industrial conservation program, Resource$mart, adding $1 million to the program to fund energy-saving measures through 2009.

The program pays for equipment such as fast-closing doors on refrigerated fruit warehouses to reduce the loss of cooled air. Projects are funded based on energy savings over a three-year period.

Since 2001, the program has saved about 4 average megawatts of power a year, enough to serve about 1,800 homes, said Mark Wiser, conservation program manager. The board’s action increased the allocation for the program to $4 million since 2001.

Commissioners also approved an agreement with the city of Cashmere to extend the program to the city’s commercial and industrial electric customers. Cashmere’s power is supplied by the PUD.

Financing with renewable energy bonds sought

Chelan County PUD will seek up to $37.7 million in federal, interest-free Clean Renewable Energy Bonds to finance modernization work at Lake Chelan and Rock Island dams.

Congress had made $250 million available to government entities for renewable energy projects in a second phase of a program started in 2005. While only smaller projects were awarded financing in the first phase, the request is “a good way to express our interest in the program,” said Suzanne Grassell, regulatory affairs analyst.

Last year, the PUD applied for $17.45 million in the bonds to modernize its Rock Island, Rocky Reach, Lake Chelan, and Stehekin projects and received $1.25 million for Stehekin.

In other business, commissioners:

Called for bids for construction of the Monitor water project to be opened Oct. 17. Award of the contract is set for Nov. 5. Commissioners also approved adding $1 million to the 2007 PUD capital budget to cover work that may be done this year, but not reimbursed until the project is finished next year.

Learned the PUD received the Golden Trout Award from the Icicle Chapter of Trout Unlimited for its effort to “conserve fish opportunities for future generations.” Commissioner Randy Smith and General Manager Rich Riazzi accepted the award at the group’s annual banquet last weekend in Leavenworth.

***

The PUD commission will hold the following special meetings to provide information about proposed rate increases:

• Aug. 13 - 5:30 p.m., Wenatchee PUD auditorium.
• Aug. 14 – 5:30 p.m., Chelan City Hall
• Aug. 15 – 5:30 p.m., Leavenworth PUD office

A public hearing on the proposals will follow at 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 10, in the PUD board room, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave., in Wenatchee.

The commission has canceled its Aug. 20 meeting. The next regular meeting of the PUD commission is at 1 p.m. on Aug. 27, 2007, in the boardroom at PUD headquarters, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave.

Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD’s home page at http://www.chelanpud.org/.

Kimberlee Craig
Public Information Officer
509-661-4320, direct line
509-679-6858, cell
kimc@chelanpud.org