TRUCKEE, Calif. — At Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s May board of directors meeting, the board approved an electric bill credit under the new Power Cost Adjustment rate, approved a crucial water infrastructure maintenance project in Tahoe Donner, and held a workshop to review TDPUD’s new Emergency Operations Plan.

Electric Bill Credit from Power Cost Adjustment

A Power Cost Adjustment rate option was approved in November 2023 as part of the 2024-25 electric rates. This allows electric bills to reflect—up or down—changes in electric resource procurement costs, in order to adapt to short-term price changes in real time, without requiring a permanent rate change. The PCA is calculated and implemented quarterly and is a new line item on customers’ monthly bills.

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During the first three months of 2024, power costs were about $325,500 less than TDPUD budgeted for, which will result in a credit to customers under this new rate option. All customers—residential and commercial—will receive a credit of $.0088 per kilowatt hour on their bill for the next three months (May, June and July). The exact credit amount is determined by usage, but it amounts to an average residential credit of $7.36 per month.

Power costs were under budget due to lower prices on natural gas, landfill gas and wind. Energy usage during January through March is also heavily influenced by heating costs, and with this year’s mild winter, customers used less energy for heating than was anticipated. Under the PCA rate option, TDPUD doesn’t keep that overage in reserves, which immediately benefits customers. However, it’s important to note that if there is a quarter where power costs exceed budget, that will result in a subsequent overage charge for customers.

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Ski Run Water Tank Replacement

The Ski Run water tank and pump station are critical to serving customers in the upper elevations of Tahoe Donner. This tank is 50 years old, and after inspection, rehabilitation of the tank was not recommended due to its condition and because the tank is undersized for the system’s current needs. In addition, it would not meet current industry standards (which have changed since its construction), and the cost of repair is close to the cost of replacing it. Construction will begin this month on a new tank and is anticipated to be completed in October, with the new pump station following in the future.

Emergency Operations Plan Workshop

TDPUD staff also presented the board with its new Emergency Operations Plan. TDPUD is mandated to have this plan by the state and federal governments, and it is important to comply because it can dictate whether or not an agency receives funding in the aftermath of a disaster or incident. The EOP describes how TDPUD will respond in an emergency, including establishing a chain of command and assigning roles, taking inventory of available resources, and outlining a communications plan for disseminating information to both staff and the community.

Information about TDPUD board meetings and access to agendas, minutes, live streaming and archived video can be found at tdpud.org/boardmeetings.