‘We cannot afford to drift’: Naperville seeks timeline for energy talks

Naperville City Council members want a timeline with “drop-dead dates” to help guide them as they figure out how to meet the city’s future energy needs.

Council members Tuesday directed staff to develop a timeline and requested a series of discussions regarding options the city has to secure electricity after its contract with the Illinois Municipal Energy Agency ends in 2035.

In February, the city council voted to pause talks with IMEA on extending its existing contract to 2055. IMEA is a group of 32 member communities — including St. Charles and Winnetka — that have pooled together to purchase power.

The agency sought contract extensions so it could identify base load needs as it negotiates contracts to meet future power needs.

Naperville’s decision to shut down talks leaves the door open for future IMEA negotiations if a majority of the council requests it. However, there was no indication when that may happen, leaving Naperville without a definitive source of power in nine years.

“We cannot afford to drift through this process,” Mayor Scott Wehrli said. “We need a clear road map that identifies the drop-dead dates for evaluating IMEA, advancing alternatives, reviewing transmission and capacity risks and understanding when delays start to cost us leverage, options and ultimately money.”

He noted that hitting pause on IMEA talks did not “pause the markets or the timeline we are up against.”

“The clock is still moving,” he said.

Council members said they wanted a discussion focused on other options, not just extending the IMEA contract. In addition, they agreed to develop a vision or priorities to keep in mind when considering energy options.

Likening the process to buying a car, Councilman Ian Holzhauer said the city needs to identify specific priorities — be it a benchmark for the city's carbon footprint reduction, reliability or affordability — before considering energy options.

“I do think if we don’t lay it out, that’s a real problem from a negotiation perspective,” he said. “Imagine going to a car dealer and saying, ‘I have no idea what kind of car I want. You show me the top three options, and I’ll decide what I want from there.’”

City staff is expected to report back to the council at a future meeting with the timeline. Staff will also review individual energy options at upcoming meetings.