Monterey Bay Community Power becomes state’s largest community choice energy agency

Monterey Bay Community Power became the state’s largest community choice energy agency in the state geographically earlier this week when it expanded to add 11 new jurisdictions from as far away as Santa Barbara County.

On Wednesday in Monterey, the power agency’s policy board unanimously approved adding Del Rey Oaks, along with Santa Barbara County and the cities of Arroyo Grande, Carpinteria, Goleta, Guadalupe, Grover Beach, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria and Solvang.

The agency, which launched in March last year and purchases power from clean energy sources for its customers, now covers five counties, 32 jurisdictions and 8,000 square miles from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
It is the largest by geographical area of the state’s 19 community choice energy agencies and will encompass service areas of two investor-owned utilities — PG&E and Southern California Edison, which provides power service to Santa Barbara County.

The board also agreed to add five new board members representing the new jurisdictions, which now consists of 17 members. The original 11-member policy board was expanded to 12 members last year when the cities of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay signed on to the agency in December 2018.

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Monterey Bay Community Power becomes state’s largest community choice energy agency, by Jim Johnson, Monterey Herald, December 6, 2019.