March 23, 2018

City of Boulder hires consultant as electric-utility director

BOULDER — The city of Boulder has hired Steve Catanach to lead the community’s effort to establish an electrical utility. His position as electric utility development director will be effective April 23.

Catanach will lead the city’s continued evaluation and development of a local electric utility. This has been the primary focus of Heather Bailey, who is leaving Boulder on April 27 to work for Austin Energy.

Catanach, currently a consultant supporting the city’s energy-development team, has worked as an electrical engineer for the past 33 years, 31 of those years in the electric-utility industry. Prior to becoming a consultant, Catanach served as the Light and Power Operations manager for the city of Fort Collins. He managed a staff of 128 employees and was responsible for all the operations — from construction and engineering to meter reading and substation operations — necessary to deliver electricity to the city’s customers.

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Catanach also worked previously for the city of Longmont; the city of Las Cruces, N.M.; and the Arizona Public Service Corp., the largest electric utility in Arizona. He holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University and has been a licensed professional engineer in Colorado for more than 18 years.

“I am delighted Steve has agreed to take on this important leadership role,” City Manager Jane Brautigam said in a prepared statement. “Steve’s wealth of experience in the electric utilities industry and in-depth knowledge of the current city project will help us maintain momentum as we work to prepare the community for a go/no-go vote in 2020. His skills, combined with existing expertise on the staff team assigned to this effort, position the city well to meet the community’s expectations.”

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to help lead this project through perhaps its most critical phase,” Catanach said. “I am honored to continue collaborating with a talented city team and an engaged public. We will work together to prepare for possible separation from Xcel Energy, refine costs and give the community critical information it needs to make an informed decision about whether Boulder should take over the role of providing the community with electricity.”

While working in Fort Collins, Catanach helped launch FortZED, a partnership that is helping Fort Collins and other communities in the region support efficient and sustainable energy. The program uses many of the opportunities Boulder hopes to support, including microgrids, expanded local generation and collaboration with tech companies.

“My experience in Fort Collins reinforced the importance of communities and utilities working together to achieve outcomes that support shared values,” Catanach said. “Boulder leads the way on meaningful climate action — and I understand the significant role a city-operated electric utility would play in achieving its short- and long-term energy goals.”

Late last year, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission ruled that the city could move forward with plans to acquire assets from Xcel Energy and run a local electric utility if it could meet certain conditions that would allow for a complete separation between city-owned and Xcel systems. The commission ordered both sides to reach a series of agreements. While some agreements have been reached, negotiations are ongoing on those related to separation costs.

For more information about the city’s local electric utility strategy, visit boulderenergyfuture.com.

 

BOULDER — The city of Boulder has hired Steve Catanach to lead the community’s effort to establish an electrical utility. His position as electric utility development director will be effective April 23.

Catanach will lead the city’s continued evaluation and development of a local electric utility. This has been the primary focus of Heather Bailey, who is leaving Boulder on April 27 to work for Austin Energy.

Catanach, currently a consultant supporting the city’s energy-development team, has worked as an electrical engineer for the past 33 years, 31 of those years in…

Ken Amundson
Ken Amundson is managing editor of BizWest. He has lived in Loveland and reported on issues in the region since 1987. Prior to Colorado, he reported and edited for news organizations in Minnesota and Iowa. He's a parent of two and grandparent of four, all of whom make their homes on the Front Range. A news junkie at heart, he also enjoys competitive sports, especially the Rapids.
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