NCPA invests in solar project that will provide power to Lodi

ROSEVILLE — The Northern California Power Agency has approved a long-term agreement with the Sustainable Power Group (sPower) to purchase renewable energy from a 17 megawatt solar array project in the city of Lancaster.

The project, which is expected to begin operations by 2021, will provide renewable energy to Lodi and four other NCPA member utilities — the cities of Biggs, Gridley and Healdsburg, and the Port of Oakland.

Under the power purchase agreement, NCPA will receive energy from the solar project for 20 years, with options to purchase the facility and add energy storage infrastructure. NCPA is equipped to provide scheduling coordination services between the solar facility and the participating NCPA member utilities.

The project is expected to produce up to 50,500 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually — enough electricity to power more than 7,500 homes.

“This project helps illustrate the value our publicly owned electric utilities experience through joint action,” NCPA General Manager Randy Howard said. “They receive tremendous value by working together to achieve the economies of scale that make these types of cost-effective renewable energy opportunities possible.”

This will help each of the five participating NCPA utilities move closer to their goal of a 50 percent renewable energy portfolio by 2030.

In addition to providing renewable energy, the agreement is also cost effective, the NCPA said. The 20-year contract includes a fixed price of $39 per megawatt hour, which is substantially less than many other forms of power generation in the state.

“NCPA and its member utilities have a long-standing reputation of supporting renewable energy in the state,” said Lompoc Mayor Bob Lingl, chairman of NCPA’s public governing board. “This project illustrates how NCPA continues to look at new opportunities to provide affordable clean energy to our communities.”

With the NCPA Commission formally approving the power purchase agreement on Thursday, the agreement now goes to the local governing board of each of the five participating utilities for final ratification.

NCPA is a nonprofit California joint powers agency established in 1968 to construct and operate renewable and low-carbon emitting power facilities, as well as assist in meeting the wholesale energy needs of its members. Its membership consists of 11 cities that operate their own electric utilities, as well as the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative, the Port of Oakland, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, and the Truckee Donner Public Utility District.