Previous Story
Leidos updates CUC board on Integrated Resource Plan
Leidos Engineering LLC updated the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board of directors on Tuesday on where it is at in determining an energy solution plan for CUC.
Leidos representatives Charles Janecek and Fred Wellington highlighted the four primary challenges that CUC faces with the Integrated Resource Plan and how they would approach the challenges.
These challenges include converting inexact economic and resource data into a robust and actionable plan, transitioning to new generation technologies or fuels, conducting a robust request for proposal that leads to new supplier relationships, and addressing stakeholder concerns and communicating results.
Janecek said that most islands face a “unique IRP” constraint due to a “self-contained” grid and heightened economic uncertainty, and high electric rates.
He said that CUC needs sophisticated modeling platforms and analytics related to relationships between weather, economic activity, and load; co-optimization of costs of variable baseload resources both generation and capacity and fuels, and rate impacts and design.
He told board members that CUC needs a better RFP process to get stakeholders’ and political acceptance.
“A credible process is critical to generate sufficient market interest in the RFP due to the small nature of the system and geographic location. Moreover, CUC needs a formalized, structured approach to ensure optimal decision making,” Janecek said.
CUC board chair David Sablan Jr. said that CUC has to go to a higher level to reach the IRP that Leidos presented so that CUC would be a more reliable and better utility service for the CNMI.
Janecek said that stakeholder engagement can drive a proactive message with customers.
“This is best accomplished through a structured engagement process and stakeholders engagement can also help align CUC’s expectations with customers, governing bodies, and other interested parties,” he said.
Janecek said that they wanted the CUC board to get an early input on how the IRP will play into the future of CUC.
The integrated resource plan’s purpose is to determine the best combination of both base-load and renewable energy sources capable of providing reliable power at the lowest price to consumers.
