Vote for DVP is a vote for reliability

We’ve had a lot of back and forth over the last few weeks on the pages of this paper about the recent 3-2 vote by the IID board to enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Desert View Power (DVP). IID board members made a good decision on March 5 when they directed IID staff to enter into a PPA with that facility.

Some of the math that has appeared in letters to this paper has been flat out wrong, and I know it is intentionally being shared ahead of the IID board elections in order to scare ratepayers. If IID can buy power at $52/MWh, IID leadership and staff have a duty to bring these contracts forward ASAP.

The “cheap power” some assert IID should buy (rather than DVP’s power) would have to be bought on the open market. And, because the market can be volatile, it may not be available when its needed — or at the price IID wants to pay. Betting on cheap, imported power generated by fossil fuels is NOT the same as having DVP under contract — a reliable, renewable energy plant right here in our region.

The fact is, DVP is a known quantity. DVP is not a “new” power provider for any of us here in the Imperial Valley. IID and DVP have been partners for ratepayers for decades. IID has been relying on DVP to stabilize the grid for the last 30 years and has been purchasing DVP electricity for the last decade. The plant is a green, renewable and local power generation choice that has helped keep the air conditioners humming in the hot summer months.

If we are going to do fuzzy math on energy prices, we have to compare apples to apples. I could compare a bicycle with a Chevy in gas mileage, but nobody really wants to make that trade when you need to get real work done.

—Erik Ortega, Brawley