Kirkwood looking for power supplier

By Kathryn Reed

Kirkwood – the residents, resort and other commercial entities – may soon have a new provider of power.

For years the area straddling Alpine, Amador and El Dorado counties had a diesel plant. That all changed three years ago this month when Kirkwood Meadows Public Utility District completed the construction of a transmission line connecting Kirkwood to the CAISO-controlled electric grid at PG&E’s Salt Springs substation. 

“Power is purchased through an independent energy supplier based on load forecasts provided by KMPUD, with actual usage monitored by CAISO,” Brandi Benson, assistant manager of operations for KMPUD, told Lake Tahoe News.

KMPUD is in the process of soliciting bids for “a single counter-party to provide a full array of energy wholesale services including, but not limited to: power procurement, trading and hedging; load forecasting and scheduling; and CAISO interface, SC services and settlement activities.”

KMPUD has 730 customers, with the largest being the ski resort. It owns the 28.8-mile power line connecting the distribution system to the transmission system at Salt Springs.

Kirkwood Meadows still maintains a diesel plant as backup.

KMPUD also provides the community’s water supply, waste water, fire services, mosquito abatement, propane service, solid waste management, parks and recreational facilities, and snow removal.