On Tuesday, August 31, the city of Irvine will host a community meeting to discuss developments within the Orange County Power Authority, during which the public is encouraged to ask questions.

Sona Coffee, Environmental Programs Administrator for the city of Irvine, provided more insight into what the public can expect, adding that the OCPA is preparing a funding request to the California Public Utilities Commission.

“OCPA is putting together a funding request to the CPUC and wants to include feedback on the types of local energy programs that Irvine constituents need,” Coffee wrote in an email to Irvine Weekly.

Coffee also added that she is hopeful there will be more meetings for the public to engage with officials, as the Orange County Power Authority begins servicing clients, starting with commercial clients in April.

“The purpose of Tuesday’s meeting is for OCPA to gather input from businesses and residents in Irvine on energy programs that would be beneficial,” she said. “Attendees can also ask questions of the OCPA staff.”

The meeting will take place inside Irvine City Hall on Tuesday, August 31, and will be streamed via Zoom.

As the city of Irvine, along with Huntington Beach, Fullerton and Buena Park, prepares to transition to purchasing power from the Orange County Power Authority, members of the public have been critical on several issues including transparency and the ability to find funding for a project of this magnitude.

While the OCPA Board of Directors voted on banking and lending partners JP Morgan Chase and River City Bank in June, no final contracts have been made public more than two months later.

Despite a $2.5 million loan from the city of Irvine, the OCPA is still finalizing start-up funds and is looking for a line of credit of up to $50 million, an increase from an initial $29 million. 

OCPA Board Member Mike Posey asked about creating a two-step process regarding loans during the meeting on June 22, suggesting only executing the additional $20 million loan “as necessary.”

During the OCPA Board of Directors meeting on June 22, Attorney Glen Price advised the board that seeking an increased line of credit would be beneficial, but could take up to 60 days to become finalized.

“Doing a step-up of that size – going from $29 million to the $50 [million] – would likely be at best a 60-day process,” Price said. “So if we found ourselves in a position where we need to post significant collateral – let’s say we got beneficial pricing maybe going out a few years on energy – we typically need to respond very quickly to those.” 

Now, as the board awaits the return of the final banking contracts, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan said no final decision has been made at this time.

“I think right now, we’re just waiting to hear back from the banks that we are currently dealing with. Until we hear one way or another, I don’t think we are going to make any decision,” Khan said.

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