Boulder, CU to present electric-services agreement to city council

BOULDER — The city of Boulder and the University of Colorado Boulder have reached terms for an agreement on future electric services that will be presented at a city council meeting next week.

The agreement outlines the terms of a working relationship, should a city-owned electric utility begin providing service to customers in Boulder.

CU Boulder has agreed to purchase electricity from the city utility and continue to collaborate with the city and other partners on projects that support clean energy and resilience.

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In turn, the city will maintain or improve reliability standards the university already has in place; provide CU Boulder with an agreed-upon rate structure; and have CU Boulder regularly engage with the city in discussions about electricity delivery system enhancements and reliability.

CU Boulder is both a power user and a power provider, operating co-generation facilities on campus that could provide back-up energy for the larger community. The campus is home to more than 7,000 students and employs more than 10,000 workers.

“CU Boulder is in a class by itself, and we are delighted to reach this agreement,” said Heather Bailey, executive director of energy strategy and electric utility development for the city. “It gives us both a higher level of certainty about how we would operate in a customer-provider context. This clarity is helpful as we plan for our future electric utility.”

“I’m also looking forward to partnering with CU Boulder to further one of our community’s strongest values — innovation — as we seek ways to support clean energy and enhance resilience. We can accomplish so much as a team,” Bailey said.

That innovative work has already started, with the university and city leveraging Department of Energy dollars to build out microgrids on CU’s east campus.

The city and CU Boulder began discussing the possibility of an electric services agreement last fall after the city filed a proposed separation plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. CU Boulder filed a motion to intervene in that case. Under this agreement, CU Boulder will continue to monitor, but take no position in, the ongoing litigation.  However, if there are changes to the city’s application that would negatively impact CU Boulder, the university reserves the right to raise those concerns after conferring with the city.

David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and safety at CU Boulder, said the university’s interest was to ensure that its primary needs of reliability and rate stability would be met.

“This agreement allows us to be responsible stewards for the university, while also recognizing our shared goals. As a campus, we see significant value in clean and locally produced energy, energy efficiency, sustainability and improved resilience. This is a terrific opportunity for us to work together toward this common vision.”

The Boulder City Council meeting will start at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Council Chambers, 1777 Broadway. The meeting will also be livestreamed at BoulderChannel8.com.