The Naperville City Council wants to know its energy source options and the deadlines it’s facing as it works to lock in the city’s future electricity supply.
While the current contract with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency doesn’t expire until 2035, council members Tuesday directed staff to give them a timetable and options as they decide on how they will proceed. They also plan to have a discussion in which they set long-term energy goals.
“We cannot afford to drift through this process,” said Mayor Scott Wehrli, emphasizing the need for “a clear road map that identifies the drop-dead dates for evaluating IMEA, advancing alternatives, reviewing transmission and capacity risks, and understanding when delays start to cost us leverage, options and ultimately money.”
The call for a timeline comes after the council halted contract extension negotiations last month with IMEA, causing some Naperville residents and council members to wonder where the city goes from here.
“I also want to note that while council voted to pause negotiations with IMEA, that vote did not pause the markets, regulatory change or the timeline that we are up against. The clock is still moving,” Wehrli said.
IMEA, the joint action agency that currently provides the city with its electricity, had requested the city extend its contract to 2055, something to which 29 of its 32 member municipalities have already agreed. Among the reasons some are opposed to continuing with IMEA is its reliance on coal-generated power.
Contract renewal discussions have been ongoing for nearly two years, and in August the council voted to negotiate independently with IMEA on a number of provisions for a potential future contract rather than proceed with the extension set forward by IMEA.
Those negotiations were paused last month, although the council could decide to resume them should it so desire.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council members were supportive of receiving a timeline that includes critical decision dates. Several emphasized that they want to better understand the city’s options for electricity sources outside of IMEA.
“For me, specifically, I want to see non-IMEA options,” Councilwoman Supna Jain said. “I think we know IMEA and we’ve kind of discussed that and gotten to a point where there wasn’t a meeting of minds, despite a lot of resources and time being dedicated to it.”
On top of that, the council agreed that more clearly defined goals and a broader vision for the city’s electricity future should be considered as part of the process.
“To my knowledge, no one’s ever said, ‘Hey, the city’s goal is to cut carbon emissions by 10% or 15%, or the city’s goal is to make sure prices don’t go up by more than 5%. These aren’t super hard concepts, but right now … (we) don’t even know what we want,” Councilman Ian Holzhauer said.
Assessing electricity options without clearly defined goals, he said, was like “going to a car dealer and saying, ‘I have no idea what type of car I want. You tell me what are the three best options for me and I’ll consider that.’”
City staff will return to future council meetings with a timeline and electricity options for Naperville beyond 2035. A workshop outside of regular council meetings will also be held to determine the city’s electricity goals.
cstein@chicagotribune.com