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July 12, 2010

TCL&P seeks full-time long-term planner

Would be charged with shaping local generation plans

BY ART BUKOWSKI abukowski@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City Light & Power decided it needs another staffer to help figure out long-term energy generation plans.

The public utility is advertising in downstate venues for a "generation project manager." The full-time position would be responsible for planning Light & Power's local generation plans.

Light & Power uses a single wind turbine to generate a tiny fraction of the power it provides to customers; the rest is bought and shipped up from downstate.

The utility recently sidelined its push to construct at least one local wood-burning biomass power plant, but still hopes to build some form of local generation facility.

"If we're going to do local generation, no matter what type, we're going to either use consultants, which are expensive, or invest in some permanent expertise," Ed Rice, Light & Power's executive director, said of the advertised position.

Light & Power has advertised for weeks, but received only four applicants for the position so far, Rice said. None were qualified. Officials are offering a salary between $65,000 and $85,000.

The utility is only advertising for the position downstate, Rice said, though he believes he soon may be forced to broaden that scope. Rice hopes to find someone who either works or used to work for a major power generation company and has significant experience in the field.

"We don't want this to be a training position," he said.

Rice contends he likely wouldn't be able to find a good local candidate because there's no large generation facilities here. Board Chairman Mike Coco agrees.

"It's not as if we're ruling out local candidates," he said. "You go to where you think the best pool of candidates is going to be."

Much is up in the air with Light & Power. Depending on the fate of two recent petitions submitted for election approval, residents in November could vote to bring the utility back under city commission control and/or vote to give residents the right to vote on any new generation plans.

Mayor Chris Bzdok said Light & Power's hope of hiring the new staffer is a sign that it's "committing to the due diligence of local generation," something he believes has "tremendous advantages."

Light & Power should continue to explore locally owned generation, regardless of the ballot issues, he said.

"You can't just put everything on hold for six months, you've got to go out there and answer those questions," he said.

Coco said the new hire could provide the answers that were lacking in the biomass process. Many accused Light & Power of not addressing specific public concerns.

"This person is not a PR person," he said. "This person could help provide those answers."

Light & Power likely will scuttle its goal of sourcing 30 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020, though its renewable number is expected to climb to 7 percent by the end of the year as a number of wind turbines in McBain go online.

Light & Power signed a purchase agreement with a wind farm in McBain, and that wind power will supplement Light & Power's existing wind turbine off M-72.

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