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Danville town officials are looking for public input about whether the town should join a community choice energy program.
Danville, along with San Ramon, 12 other cities and Contra Costa County, are deciding whether to form a nonprofit joint powers authority (JPA) to purchase electricity from sources other than PG&E, including more renewable options, and then to sell it back to consumers in their areas.
The goals of the program would include gaining local control, expanding consumer choices and reducing consumer costs for electricity generation, according to San Ramon Valley officials.
“A community choice energy (CCE) program would change how electricity is procured for Danville’s 17,000 residential and commercial customers,” Nat Rojanasathira, assistant to the town manager, said in a statement.
“Feedback from electricity ratepayers at public workshops and through the online survey will help the Town Council make an informed decision on whether or not to move forward with CCE,” he added.
To help collect that feedback, the town has released an online survey that is open through April 23.
Danville is also hosting a public workshop April 13 from 6-7 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 115 E. Prospect Ave. in downtown.
Danville, along with the 13 cities and the county, commissioned a technical study from a consultant firm to outline how a local energy program would work. The technical study was finalized last month.
The study presents four options for Danville to consider: stay with PG&E, join the existing MCE Clean Energy (formerly known as Marin Clean Energy), join the East Bay Community Energy (a new CCE program being established in Alameda County) or form a new Contra Costa County CCE program.
Under a potential CCE program, the JPA would become the default electricity provider to all electricity customers within the service area, town officials said.
The JPA would be responsible for power generation, but electricity would still be transmitted through PG&E’s transmission lines — so customers would still be billed for electricity and gas through PG&E, officials said. Customers could also opt out of the CCE program and return to PG&E.
The Town Council next month will consider options on how electricity should be generated and purchased in Danville, and council members plan to use the public feedback to help them make their final decision, town officials said.
For more information, contact Rojanasathira at 314-3328 ornrojanasathira@danville.ca.gov.
