HomeMy WebLinkAbout7 Outreach Plan for SMRenda Item #
To: Board of Directors
From: Steven Poncelet
Date: March 15, 2017
Subject: Discussion of Outreach Plan for the Potential Project with UAMPS
Using Small Modular Nuclear Reactor (SMR) Technology
1. WHY THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE BOARD
The Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) and the District have been
investigating a new resource called Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) for over two
years and this workshop regarding the outreach plan is a next step in the process.
2. HISTORY
The District's Board has held numerous agendized meetings on the UAMPS CFPP
since 2015. This potential project, should the Board chose to continue to completion,
will require execution of three phases with action items and off -ramps at each decision
point: Study and Siting Phase, Licensing Phase, and Construction Phase and could
take a decade in total. The project is exiting the Study and Siting Phase as indicated
in the below list of District Board meetings and activities on the UAMPS CFPP:
• April 15, 2015; workshop introduction of the CFPP and the Small Modular
Nuclear Reactor (SMR) technology to the Board;
• August 19, 2015; action item where the Board approved to enter into an
agreement with UAMPS for the study phase of the project and a 4000kw site
share of the CFPP;
• September 12-13, 2016; staff and two Board members attended the UAMPS
informational session concerning the CFPP;
• January 19, 2017; Workshop to discuss carbon -free hedge, preliminary
outreach plan, and the next move to the Licensing Phase of the project with a
description of the the three sub -phases of the Licensing Phase; and
• February 1, 2017; Workshop to discuss in more detail the CFPP SMR
technology, financial, and environmental performance for the first sub -phase of
the of Licensing Phase along with the overall project.
At the last Board Workshop, staff communicated that we are updating an outreach
plan to target both an internal and external audience. The objective of this outreach
plan is to educate our rate payers, community, and partners on the new SMR
technology, the CFPP project details, and the conditions under which the District may
choose to participate. The Board indicated a desire to have a robust outreach
process to fully engage interested parties and to make sure that the public has ample
opportunities to provide inputs to the Board.
3. NEW INFORMATION
District staff have developed and are executing an Outreach Plan to engage local,
regional, and State-wide interests regarding the UAMPS CFPP project and the
conditions under which the District may choose to participate. Key points of our
communication include:
• In procuring electric resources, the District strives to balance the benefits of low
rates, renewable/carbon-free resources, and reliability;
• The UAMPS CFPP may be needed to replace existing contracts that can
include base -load, fossil -fuel resources. CFPP is a cost and carbon hedge to
balance the need for both base -load and carbon free resources;
• The UAMPS CFPP proposes to use state-of-the-art Small Modular Nuclear
Reactor (SMR) technology which is designed to be the safest and most cost-
effective nuclear technology available today; and
• There are numerous conditions - including cost, performance, and safety - that
must be addressed in order for the District to participate in the UAMPS CFPP
and there are off -ramps along the way to exit the project should the Board
decide to no longer participate.
The Board indicated a desire for staff to execute an outreach plan above and beyond
the numerous agendized District meetings. To address this, staff proposes to
continue with the following outreach plan with the goal of encouraging public
participation when the District's Board considers continuing with the Licensing Phase
of the project:
• Staff has created a new web page to provide information and access to the
UAMPS CFPP. This new page can be accessed from the District's home page
(www.tdpud.org) and provides information on the District's activities to date
along with a link to the UAMPS website which is the primary source of technical
and project related information;
• The District is reaching out to key stakeholders and is available to meet with
interested parties or groups to inform them of the ongoing process, provide
information on the CFPP, and hear what people think;
• Staff will prepare a press release, advertisements, and public service
announcements to announce and invite the public to participate when the
Board next meets to consider continuing with the Licensing Phase of the CFPP;
• Staff will reach out to local organizations/groups, such as the Chamber,
Rotaries, large HOA's, Good Morning Truckee, to offer to present to the
grounds and/or provide information on the CFPP;
• The District is communicating within the public power community, through
Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) and California Municipal Utilities
Association (CMUA), to ensure that they are aware and informed about the
UAMPS CFPP and the District's process to consider this opportunity;
• Staff is working with the local media on an article covering the UAMPS CFPP,
the potential benefits and risks of nuclear technology, and the on -going debate
on how to effectively replace base -load, fossil fuel electric generation.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
The CFPP is a hedge against base load generation costs and a hedge against
greenhouse gas regulations that may impose cost burdens on existing fossil fuel
resources and/or provide greater diversification in our resource portfolio. The costs for
this portion of the outreach plan is expected to be less than $1,000,
5. RECOMMENDATION
Receive and provide input on this report.
Steven Poncelet
Public Information & Strategic Affairs Manag(
Michael D. Holley
General Manager