City of Holland – Holland's Energy Future | P21 Decision

Holland BPW Reaches Agreement on New Power Plant Location

Admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 23:00:24 +0000

Site At East End Of Holland Well Suited To Project Needs

Holland, MI—The Holland Board of Public Works today announced that Holland City Council has approved a buy/sell agreement for a parcel of land that will be the cornerstone of the community’s new power generating facility.

Located at the east end of Holland, the land approved for purchase is a 9.7 acre commercial/industrial parcel located around the intersection of Fifth Street and Fairbanks Avenue.

“We’re very pleased to have reached an agreement on the site,” said David Koster, Holland BPW general manager. “It is ideally located for maintenance and possible expansion of our snowmelt system and provides the needed proximity to downtown for potential district heating. In addition, we believe that the project will positively enhance the eastern gateway to the city.”

The project timing calls for the relocation of 17 commercial tenants at the site to begin in the late summer or early fall, and demolition of the existing site structures will take place late this year. In addition to the 9.7-acre parcel, the HBPW will also acquire a number of residential and commercial properties in the immediate vicinity that are needed to complete the project.

View the HBPW Power Plant Project Timeline »

This includes about 21 residential properties in the immediate vicinity, but residents there won’t be affected until some time in 2014. The Holland BPW has already contracted a local firm to begin discussions with residents about the project and to negotiate for property purchases.

“We plan to maintain open lines of communication with the residents and property owners in the area and proceed in a very fair and responsible way with the intended property purchases,” Koster said.

After the extensive evaluation of new power needs and supply in the P21 process, which included public education events, citizen and stakeholder input and a Sustainable Return on Investment analysis, the Holland BPW began site selection for the new facility by looking at nine potential sites across the community. Considerations that helped identify the site included site conditions, available space and access to services such as water supply, gas supply, transmission interconnection and roads. In addition, for services like snowmelt–and possibly district heating–to be cost effective, the site needed to be close enough to downtown to allow for efficient transfer of heat. The provision of those services is an important part of the economic and energy efficiency goals in the Community Energy Plan.

With thoughtful design, careful construction and the installation of an attractive greenbelt, the facility and its surrounding area will provide an aesthetically pleasing entry way at the east end of the City of Holland.

“This is an exciting project for our community,” Koster said. “We’re taking a giant step toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future and using the new facility to make enhancements to the community across the board.”

The Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW) is a community-owned enterprise providing electric generation and distribution, water, wastewater treatment and broadband utility services to nearly 28,000 business and residential customers in the Holland area. HBPW is committed to enhancing the economic and environmental vitality of the community, providing reliable services at the lowest rates achievable through innovation and efficiency.

The post Holland BPW Reaches Agreement on New Power Plant Location appeared first on Holland's Energy Future | P21 Decision.

New Video: HBPW’s Recommendations to the City of Holland for New Power Generation

Admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:52:56 +0000

The post New Video: HBPW’s Recommendations to the City of Holland for New Power Generation appeared first on Holland's Energy Future | P21 Decision.

Holland City Council Approves 114 Megawatt Natural Gas Power Plant

Admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:27:59 +0000

From the Holland Sentinel

Holland — The city of Holland and its Board of Public Works will move forward with the 114-megawatt combined cycle natural gas power plant.

The city council voted 8-1 Wednesday to approve a resolution of support for the BPW staff recommendation to build the plant but not at the site of the James DeYoung power plant located near downtown Holland on Lake Macatawa.

Councilman Wayne Klomparens was the lone dissenting vote.

“Once you make this decision, you can’t go backward,” Klomparens said, adding he thinks his family took more time to choose a paint color for the kitchen wall. “There’s a myriad of questions.”

Klomparens said he would like to know where the plant would be built before the decision is made. BPW officials have said the resolution of support is needed for the city and the BPW to move forward with location possibilities.

The other council members countered Klomparens’ statements, saying the discussions and studies have been ongoing for a few years.

The Holland Community Energy Plan has been completed, task forces have been established, the research has been done, Councilman Dave Hoekstra said.

“We’re moving toward a better community,” he said, adding that about one year ago, he made the decision there was no way he would vote for coal.

Those who are asking for delays on this decision have to understand “that delay comes at a cost,” Mayor Pro Tem Bob Vande Vusse said, adding the earliest the new plant could go on line is 2016. Until then, the city will continue to use coal and delaying the vote would have meant more time burning coal.

“We have had hours and hours and hours of meetings,” Councilman Myron Trethewey said.

Councilman Todd Whiteman called the recommendation “a very reasonable solution” and “a wise decision.”

BPW Business Services Manager Dan Nally said electric generation discussions started in 2003. Since then, several studies have been conducted and meetings held.

“It’s been a very deliberate, systematic approach that has been ongoing for nine years,” he said.

“It’s almost two years we’ve been talking about this one subject,” Councilman Brian Burch said. “While I enjoy talking about it, it’s time to make decisions.”

“We do the best we can with the information we have,” Councilwoman Nancy De Boer said. “We are not making a forever decision. We’re building this now.”

The people who built the DeYoung plant in the 1940s had no idea what other forms of energy would be proposed in the future.

Read this full article on the Holland Sentinel

The post Holland City Council Approves 114 Megawatt Natural Gas Power Plant appeared first on Holland's Energy Future | P21 Decision.

View the Presentation from Last Night’s Capstone Event

Admin — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:41:07 +0000

If you missed last night’s joint study session capstone event, or if you just want to review the presentation again, you can download it using the link below.

Capstone Event Presentation

The post View the Presentation from Last Night’s Capstone Event appeared first on Holland's Energy Future | P21 Decision.

Reminder: The Capstone Event for P21 is Tonight!

Admin — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:48:14 +0000

Reminder: The Capstone Event for P21 is Tonight! Join the Holland City Council and the Holland BPW tonight from 6:00-9:00 pm at the DoubleTree Hotel as we discuss the HBPW’s Recommendations for the future energy generation in Holland.

The post Reminder: The Capstone Event for P21 is Tonight! appeared first on Holland's Energy Future | P21 Decision.

SROI “Capstone” Event Scheduled – HBPW and City Council Joint Study Session

Admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:48:19 +0000

On Monday, October 29, 2012 from 6:00-9:00pm, the City of Holland City Council and the Holland Board of Public Works will host a Joint Study Session at the DoubleTree Hotel in Holland, MI.

The event will serve as the “Capstone” Event for the Sustainable Return on Investment (SROI), and we will review and discuss materials and data for new generation options.

The post SROI “Capstone” Event Scheduled – HBPW and City Council Joint Study Session appeared first on Holland's Energy Future | P21 Decision.