Batavia looking at options for future energy needs

Amid a regional push for alternative clean energy sources, Batavia is gathering more information and looking at its options before extending its energy contracts.

City Council members Feb. 3 approved contracts with Chicago-based economic consulting firm Brattle Group to assist with planning, budgeting and projecting the city’s future electric utility needs.

Since 2007, Batavia has bought most of its electric power through contracts with the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency, which serves four Illinois municipalities including Geneva.

Before 2007, the city bought its power directly from ComEd.

NIMPA owns nearly 8% of the Prairie State Energy Campus, a coal-burning power plant in southern Illinois that is the largest emitter of planet-warming CO2 in the state and is among the top 10 largest CO2 emitters in the U.S., according to a 2019 study by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Batavia’s contract with NIMPA could extend up to 50 years, depending on several factors, which would put the latest possible termination date in 2057. At the earliest, the contract could expire in 2041, when NIMPA’s bond obligations are fully satisfied, although an exact termination date is unknown.

Based on historical data and projections, city officials do not expect the city to require additional energy resources for at least the next decade, but City Council members already are looking to put a plan in place.

The first action toward that plan came Feb. 3 when City Council members hired the Brattle Group to assess the city’s options and provide advice.

Council members approved three resolutions for the service agreement contract and the first task order with Brattle Group, as well as a budget amendment to fund the project in separate votes at the meeting.

The service agreement was approved in a unanimous vote. The task order and budget amendment were approved in 11-1 votes. In both votes, Alderman Mark Uher voted no. Aldermen Nicholas Cerone and Tony Malay were absent.

Other Kane County cities such as St. Charles and Geneva are facing similar decisions.

St. Charles is under contract with the Illinois Municipal Energy Alliance, which also generates most of its energy from Prairie State.

With 10 years left on the contract, IMEA is urging St. Charles and other Illinois municipalities such as Naperville and Winnetka to enter into a new power sales contract that would extend the agreement through May 2055.

Tri-Cities Clean Energy held forums in St. Charles and Naperville last month that drew large crowds to inform the public about IMEA and Prairie State’s heavy reliance on coal and encourage communities to opt for cleaner, more diverse and more sustainable energy sources.