Website:
www.puc.idaho.gov
Avista,
Thompson River propose sales agreement
The
Idaho Public Utilities Commission will take comments through Oct. 6 on a
proposed power purchase agreement between Avista Utilities and Thompson River
Co-Gen, LLC, a cogeneration facility near Thompson Falls, Mont.
Under
the proposed 20-year agreement, Avista will be the sole buyer of the Thompson
River plant’s generation and will pay $58.50 per megawatt hour. For all surplus
energy, Avista will pay the current month’s market price.
The
Thompson River plant generates power from coal and from wood waste produced by
a nearby sawmill. The plant is capable of generating up to 13 megawatts of
energy. A megawatt is one million watts, enough electricity to power
about 650 average homes and light 10,000 100-watt light bulbs.
The
agreement represents a settlement reached between Avista and Thompson River
after Thompson River requested an order from the commission a year ago to
require Avista to complete the purchase of the energy under provisions of the
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA.. Since then, the parties
negotiated, reaching the proposed settlement now before the commission.
Comments are accepted via e-mail by accessing the commission’s homepage at www.puc.idaho.gov and clicking on "Comments & Questions." Fill in the case number (AVU-E-05-07) and enter your comments. Comments can also be mailed to P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0074 or faxed to (208) 334-3762.
A full text of the
commission’s order, along with other documents related to this case, are
available on the commission’s Web site. Click on “File Room” and then on
“Electric Cases” and scroll down to the above case number.