On April 17, the City of Baldwin Park joined California Choice Energy Authority (CalChoice) and became the hybrid joint power authority’s (JPA) tenth associate member. CalChoice will be assisting the City in implementing a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program which is expected to launch in September 2020.
“Improving our residents’ quality of life is the City’s number one priority,” said Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano. “The City has partnered with CalChoice to leverage the power of CCA and provide the community with lower energy rates and more choices. This program is going to innovate the way power is delivered to our homes.”
Before deciding to move forward with CCA implementation, Baldwin Park evaluated CCA benefits and options for more than a year. CalChoice completed a CCA feasibility study for the City in 2018 which determined that a program could be successfully implemented in the City and would offer valuable benefits to the community. The California Public Utilities Commission approved the City’s CCA implementation plan in March 2019.
“Residents and local businesses in Baldwin Park are going to benefit immensely from the City’s decision to launch a CCA program,” said CalChoice Executive Director Jason Caudle. “We’ve seen the way other CalChoice associate members have prospered with their CCA programs and we’re excited to see Baldwin Park experience the same success.”
As a CalChoice associate member, Baldwin Park will receive a variety of CCA implementation services including rate analysis, financial projections, load forecasting and power procurement. CalChoice’s hybrid JPA structure will allow the City to remain in full control of decision making for the program, a benefit not typically offered by traditional JPAs. The City’s typical responsibilities in the process will include local governance and oversight, rate setting and community outreach. CalChoice will continue to provide operational support once the CCA program is launched.
With CCA revenue, the City intends to create a financially stable program with a reserve that ensures rate stability for years to come. Once a healthy reserve has been established, the City will use CCA revenue to develop energy efficiency programs, economic development opportunities and new community programs to help reduce electric bills.
CalChoice offers support for local governments in every phase of the CCA program implementation process, providing feasibility services to determine whether a CCA program is appropriate, developing implementation plans for members to submit to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and managing the implementation process to launch the CCA program, as well as continuing to support members once their CCA program becomes operational. To learn more about partnering opportunities with CalChoice, please visit www.CaliforniaChoiceEnergyAuthority.com.