MID Board Report Archive

Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Board Meeting of Tue., Oct. 24, 2006
Contact: MID Public Affairs Department, Kate Hora 209 526-7454
The next MID Board meetings are scheduled for Nov. 7, 14, and 28

• Nov. 7 Introduce proposed electric rate increase
• Nov. 14 * 7 p.m.* Hold Public Hearing on proposed electric rate increase
• Nov. 28 Consider proposed electric rate increase for adoption

Water report

Assistant General Manager Walter Ward, Water Operations, said the end of irrigation season is still planned for November 3. The fall salmon migration to the Tuolumne River spawning beds near La Grange has begun, and so has the fall pulse flow on the river. Water storage in the upper Tuolumne watershed stands at 83 percent.

Board approves change order for field services at the Ripon Generation Station

By majority vote, the Board approved a change order to the contract with General Electric Packaged Power for field services at the Ripon Generation Station. This is the final item needed to complete the project. Assistant General Manager Roger Van Hoy, Electric Resources, noted that the generation station was completed in time for the 2006 heat wave. Total costs will be less than the overall project budget.

Board approves purchase of renewable energy from the Buena Vista Biomass Project

By unanimous vote, the Board approved MID’s first purchase of long-term power from a renewable biomass source, the Buena Vista Biomass Project (BV Project). The BV Project is an existing power plant located near Jackson, California. Originally fueled with lignite, a low energy-content form of coal, the BV Project is being refurbished to operate using clean municipal wood waste as fuel. In addition to being a qualified renewable energy source, this wood waste will help MID meet California’s recently legislated targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

MID’s electric resource portfolio is diversified in several ways – by fuel source, geography, pricing structure, ownership, and length of contract. Fuel sources include hydro, natural gas, coal, and purchased power, including renewable wind energy. MID has already secured enough wind generation to supply 11 percent of customer load by the beginning of 2007. This biomass purchase from the BV Project will raise renewable energy to 16 percent of MID’s electric resource mix when the plant goes online in late 2007. To compare, hydropower from Don Pedro has supplied only five to 12 percent of MID customers’ energy needs since the 1980s. Once the BV Project goes online, MID customers will receive more power from wind and biomass every year than from Don Pedro.

Budget workshop

Staff presentation of the proposed 2007 Operations and Maintenance budget concluded with the Transmission & Distribution and Water Operations Divisions.

Organizational changes

Assistant General Manager for Human Resources, John Gronholt, presented proposed changes to the MID organizational chart and a list of proposed staffing changes. The Board will consider these proposals along with the 2007 budget.