‘A big decision’: St. Charles and Naperville weigh future energy options

Residents are urging St. Charles and Naperville to reject a proposed 20-year extension of their contract with the agency that supplies electricity to the towns, in part, because some of that power comes from a downstate coal-fired plant.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency has given both cities an Aug. 19 deadline to sign the contract extension.

The IMEA represents 32 municipalities that purchase power in bulk to distribute to their residents. The group’s existing contract with its member communities is set to expire in 2035. IMEA has asked its members to approve a 20-year extension.

Naperville and St. Charles have yet to approve the deal. Both towns held special meetings on Monday to discuss the issue.

“Naperville won’t control its destiny for 30 years if we sign this deal,” said Joe Hus, energy chair for the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force.

On Monday, he said the contract's length was unprecedented and would limit Naperville’s flexibility to adapt to market changes.

“We’re betting billions of Naperville ratepayers’ money that there aren’t going to be changes over the 30 years that might make IMEA not the best provider,” he said.

Naperville City Council members are scheduled to vote on the proposed extension on Aug. 19. The St. Charles council is expected to vote on Aug. 18.

Officials in both towns have been reviewing the proposed contract extension for months. St. Charles, for example, formed a working group in May.

“It’s a big decision for the city,” St. Charles Mayor Clint Hull said. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’m just very proud and very appreciative of everything that has been done.”

Proponents for contract renewal note that IMEA is a nonprofit agency. They say IMEA offers lower-cost, reliable service and has made verbal commitments to move toward green energy and comply with state laws requiring net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Naperville proponents also note that under the proposed contract, a “member-directed resource” would allow the city to buy up to 45% of its energy from green sources as early as 2026. St. Charles also has an option to secure a percentage of its energy usage from renewable sources.

“There’s a cost to us if we leave IMEA,” said Roger Blomquist, a member of Naperville's Public Utilities Advisory Board.

Blomquist is among the majority on the panel who voted 4-3 to recommend approval of the contract extension.

He said the city would be “rolling the dice on Naperville’s electrical and economic futures” if it rejects the IMEA contract.

Opponents have questioned why a vote is needed so far in advance and have urged Naperville and St. Charles to consider alternatives. Many cite environmental concerns and point to IMEA’s reliance on Prairie State Energy’s coal-fired plant in southern Illinois.

“This isn’t just about policy, it’s about the kind of world my generation will grow up in,” Rakshita Ruparel, a rising senior at Naperville North High School, said during a Monday news conference.

Ruparel is an organizer with Power a Better Future, which plans to hold a youth-led rally outside the Naperville Municipal Center before the Aug. 19 city council meeting.

Opponents pointed out that although IMEA has stated its intention to increase the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar power, the proposed contract does not detail these plans.

St. Charles’ consultant suggested the city could negotiate new terms with IMEA or, more feasibly, seek out another full-service energy provider. Consultant Shawn Kessler said the latter process could take about six months to complete.

“There are plenty of qualified providers in the market,’ he said.

Kessler said that with future energy costs uncertain, no matter the provider, the decision comes down to whether the city would rather continue its relationship with IMEA or explore renewable energy options.

“You’ve got a big decision to make pretty quickly here,” Kessler said. “Both paths include uncertainty over power supply costs. Each has pros and cons depending on what you want.”

• Shaw Local News Network contributed to this report