The City Council approved a two-year contract extension with Strategic Capitol Consulting to lobby on behalf of Independence Power and Light at the state capitol in Jefferson City.

The proposed contract increases the contract from the current $66,000 per year to $120,000 per year, or $10,000 a month. The current contract expires Oct. 30th.

The lobbying firm is lead by Steve Tilley, a well-connected lobbyist and former Speaker of the House of Representatives. IPL previously did not have its own lobbyist, but stated it needed assistance on major utility issues.

The firm has provided regular reports to the City Council on its lobbying efforts.

The City Council also approved a separate lobbying contract with John Bardgett & Associates which also will be paid $120,000 - an increase from $90,000 under its current contract which expires Aug. 31.

A major report on future options for energy generation and options is nearing completion.

The study will provide technical and economic evaluations for various energy scenarios so the municipal utility can "supply an affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly supply of capacity and energy for the next 20 years."

The master energy plan will recommend a preferred energy portfolio, project energy demand, explore energy efficiency options and make recommendations on generating capacity and staffing levels.

The City Council received a preliminary report in July.

In 1901, Independence city leaders – then a community of roughly 7,000 – decided to take a bold step and create our current municipal electrical power company now known Independence Power and Light.

It was a time of great change and innovation.

Automobiles were a novelty, commercial radio was unimagined and television an unknown idea. Computers, internet and amazing personal technology would come later.

City leaders created the city-owned electrical utility at the turn of the 20th century so the community could benefit from the opportunities (real and many not even imagined) from harnessing the capacity to generate and transmit electricity could have for the community.

“Ownership of the electric utility meant independence for the people of Independence,” commented an official history of the city electric utility which now serves a community of over 116,000 with over 56,000 electric and water customers.

And like the world around us, the electric utilities and the backbone transmission grid over which it wheels electrical power is facing tremendous changes.

The industry is shifting from coal-fired generation to other sources, primarily natural gas, wind and solar. Currently 13.5 percent of IPL’s power is generated from either wind (purchased in Kansas) or solar (currently generated by the community solar farm and scheduled to significantly expand next summer).

Indy Energy and three other groups - Renew Missouri, the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council - are requesting an opportunity for public comment and review of a major IPL master energy study which is nearing completion.

The major energy study will provide technical and economic evaluations for various energy scenarios so the municipal utility can "supply an affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly supply of capacity and energy for the next 20 years."

The master energy Study is being conducted by Burns and McDonnell at a cost of $325,000.

The most significant issue the master energy plan is expected to address is the future of the city-owned Blue Valley power plant.

The four candidates for Independence City Council specifically discussed utility issues during a segment of a March 20 candidate forum.

The four candidates are: Karen DeLuccie, Mike Huff, Matt Medley and Brice Stewart.

The comments on utilities responded to question about a $30 million proposal for automatic meters and utility rates.

Here's the unedited comments from the forum hosted by the Independence Chamber of Commerce and Metropolitan Community College.

A review of switching the electrical supplier for Independence's Courtney Bend water treatment plant to the city-owned Independence Power and Light shows it would be uneconomical.

The city's water treatment plant is currently served by Kansas City Power and Light because it is located in the investor-owned utility's service area.

The idea to explore switching utilities was undertaken at the request of the City Council who will receive a presentation at their Jan. 22 study session.

Analysis by the IPL staff spelled out the impacts of undertaking the switch.

The staff's estimates to switch utilities providers could cost up to $29.5 million - $17.2 million to KCPL to take over the service and another $12.2 million for new IPL transmission line upgrades to deliver power to Courtney Bend.

The city has selected Burns and McDonnell, a major local engineering firm, to undertake a master energy plan for Independence Power and Light.

The plan would help IPL figure out long-term plans for generating, purchasing or other options to meet future energy needs.

The cost of the initial study is $325,000 with two additional updates over the next six years at a cost of $182,600 each.

The master energy study will address several important questions including the future of the city-owned Blue Valley power plant and whether it makes economic sense to purchase needed power from other sources.

The study should provide economic evaluations and recommendations to meet IPL generating needs over the next 20 years.

The study involves a tight project schedule with the extensive evaluation to be completed by May 2018. The overall approach is outlined in the firm's proposal.

The community solar farm will triple in size over the next several months and be located on two separate sites.

The 3.2 MW community solar farm, which went online in March 2017, is 100% subscribed but a major expansion up to 11 MW was approved this summer.

The current operating solar farm is at at 24301 E. Bundschu Rd. opposite Indian Trails Elementary School.

MCPower, which operates the solar farm, is seeking to rezone an adjacent 7-acre tract which would accommodate an additional .7 MW of solar generation, or approximately 4 MW for the rural location.

(MC Power recently provided a public tour of the existing site for Indy Energy and other interested parties. Photo above)

Two members of the Public Utilities Advisory Board - Jack Looney and Mark McDonald - have been reappointed to new four-year terms expiring in 2021.

Looney currently serves as chairperson for the seven-member volunteer board.

The PUAB, in recent months, has been more active and engaged particularly during consideration of decommissioning the city-owned Missouri City power plant.

The PUAB is given extensive responsibilities for utilities providing services in the city.

A wide-ranging audit of Independence Power and Light (IPL) identifies significant financial and operational issues for the city-owned utility.

The audit was publicly presented to the City Council Finance and Audit Committee on July 12 and was also recently presented to the Public Utilities Advisory Board.

The audit executive summary says the city utility is "at a crossroads" because its current 193 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity is within "five years of end of life."

The report outlines 23 different recommendations - some which have already been implemented - to improve IPL's financial performance and overall operations.

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 10:30 am, the Independence MO Public Utilities Advisory Board ("PUAB") will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed sale, demolition and remediation of the City-owned Missouri City Power Plant. 

The meeting will be at the Independence Utilities Center, in Room 117, First Floor.  The Independence Utilities Center is located at 17221 East 23rd Street South.

Interested citizens and ratepayers are encouraged to attend and participate.

The project has the subject of considerable discussions and questions related to the selection of a high bidder to do the work.

The City Council is considering a $9.7 million proposal to decommissioning the shutdown Missouri City Power Plant even though a bid for approximately half that amount was received from another qualified firm.

The higher proposal, received from Environmental Operations Inc, is on the City Council agenda for first reading Monday, June 18th. Two readings are required and approval could occur at the July 10th meeting.

The matter received extensive discussion at the June 15th Public Utilities Advisory Board (PUAB) which voted 4-1 against recommending the higher bid to the City Council. Board members raised several questions about why the lower bid from Commercial Liability Partners was not acceptable.

Independence Power and Light is considering adding another 4mw community solar farm to meet strong community demand for renewable energy from the sun.

The initial community solar farm, which went online in March 2017, is 100% subscribed and there is a waiting list of residential and business customers interested if additional solar capacity is added, according to IPL director Leon Daggett.

Independence Power and Light is one of 110 public power utilities to recently earn the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designation from the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service.

IPL received the Diamond Level - the highest level.

The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement.

The Independence City Council received an extensive update presentation on automatic utility meters at it March 13th meeting.

The presentation, provided Independence Power and Light Deputy Director Andrew Boatright, provided an update on where the city utility was in considering switching to automatic meters.

Based on the initial review, the revised report estimated the project costs would drop from $48.8 million to $40.2 million with a nine-year breakeven payback.

The overall operations and performance of the Independence Power & Light are being reviewed by an outside independent party.

The City Council, last December, approved a contract with Management Partners for a broad overview of the city-owned electric utility.