Public Power - November/December 2007 - (Page 43)

City % Population Growth % Job Growth St. George, Utah Provo, Utah Phoenix. Ariz. Riverside, Calif. Orlando, Fla. Dover, Del. Idaho Falls, Idaho 39.8 25.9 24.2 23.7 20.7 16.5 15.1 41.8 15.8 18.7 21.2 18.0 20.4 17.0 USA Today listed the top five fastest growing metropolitan areas in each state (2000 to 2006), using the U.S. Bureau of Census as its source. had 920,000 customers. We anticipate 950,000 by April 2008.” And labor demands for these projects, OUC has worked with a large from a peak demand perspective, SRP is growing between 250 number of contractors for several years. “We discuss our upcomand 300 megawatts per year. “This is equivalent to a good-sized ing projects so they can staff up to the required levels,” he said. power plant unit,” he said. In the summer of 1997, SRP’s peak The utility has also created a very aggressive apprentice proload was 4,246 megawatts. In the summer 2006, it hit 6,590 MW. gram, working with local community colleges to train new Like Riverside, SRP has a lot of experience managing growth. lineworkers. “We go through an annual forecasting process that looks at the Provo City Department of Energy—Provo, Utah, welcomes next 10 years related to expected growth,” said Duckworth. “We growth and actively promotes it. The Provo metropolitan area look at our resource picture, ask ourselves what additional re- has grown 26 percent, from 377,000 in 2000 to 474,000 in 2006. sources are needed, and then focus on developing the best The utility has worked to encourage growth by focusing on core options.” business requirements, which it defines as competitive and low In meeting that growth, SRP’s goal is to avoid relying on any rates, a high level of reliability, and superior customer service. single type of generating resource. Coal accounts for about half of “We have found that these are very appealing to businesses that the utility’s current generation, with the rest of power needs met are considering relocating to our area,” said Kevin Garlick, enthrough nuclear, hydro, natural gas, and renewable resources, in- ergy director. cluding wind, geothermal and solar. Short term, SRP is looking at Provo Department of Energy offers some of the lowest elecadding resources to deal with growth in peak demand. Peaking op- tricity rates in the state, which is particularly appealing to small tions being pursued include wind, solar, and natural gas resources. manufacturers, said Garlick. Provo is a member of the Utah Mu“We also need additional base load resources,” said Duckworth. The options being considered include geothermal, non- Businesses considering Provo ask to see utility traditional coal, and, in the long term, statistics on reliability. “We also spend time talking nuclear. Orlando Utilities Commission—Since to them in depth about the level of redundancy we 2000, the population in Orange County, Fla., has grown from 1.6 million to nearly have built.” 2 million, a 21 percent increase. OUC monitors growth each year and forecasts expected future nicipal Power Agency, which supplies its wholesale electricity growth. It works with the county, city, and developers to make needs. The agency has successfully locked into long-term power sure it will have sufficient infrastructure in place. “We want to supply contracts, which give Provo and other members rate stamake sure we have a long enough lead-time to get the necessary bility. The Provo utility has not increased rates since 1988. It also infrastructure in place,” said Byron Knibbs, vice president of en- offers a good mix of hydroelectric, coal, and some peaking reergy delivery. “We also work closely with the developers so we sources. can get our facilities in place before they begin building their in“Reliability is particularly important to manufacturers, espefrastructures, so we aren’t on top of each other.” OUC may hire cially high-tech firms, and we have seen a lot of these businesses the same contractors the developers use so they can install the locate in Provo,” said Garlick. Businesses considering Provo ask developer’s underground facilities and OUC’s conduit systems. to see utility statistics on reliability. “We also spend time talking Currently, OUC is retrofitting some substations and building to them in depth about the level of redundancy we have built new substations and transmission lines. into our system,” he said. In most cases, the utility develops dual “We work with developers and the community in advance to power feeds to serve businesses. It has also introduced distribumake sure they understand the need for these additions, so the tion automation and adheres to a longstanding internal policy community is not surprised when we actually install the substa- that calls for multiple paths whenever lines are extended. It then tions and transmission lines,” Knibbs said. To meet the fluid encourages the businesses to locate in areas with the highest levwww.APPAnet.org NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007 43 http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - November/December 2007

Public Power - November/December 2007 Contents Washington Focus 10 Questions Connecting with the Customer Through Automation AMR or AMI? The High Court’s Antitrust Thunderbolts California’s Push for Demand-Response Plug-In Partners Get Plugged In Wiring Up for Double-Digit Growth For Engineers Safety Community Broadband For Governing Boards DEED Customer Service Hometown Connections Index to Advertisers Parting shot

Public Power - November/December 2007

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