The City of Manhattan will be running on wind power starting in 2021.
The Manhattan City Commission unanimously approved a participation service agreement with Westar energy to utilize power from a new wind energy plant that will be constructed in Northeast Kansas by the end of 2020.
Under the agreement, the city will power its facilities by 50 percent using wind-generated power at a locked-in rate of 1.8 cents per kilowatt hour. Depending on how the energy market fluctuates, the city could stand to save between $45,000 to $50,000 per year for the life of the 20-year agreement. The city’s energy bill typically runs about $2.6 million per year.
Commissioner Wynn Butler asked why not go all the way and commit to generating 100 percent of the city’s energy from the wind farm. Deputy City Manager Jason Hilgers said city staff recommended agreeing to the deal for 50 percent of their energy use because future innovation could lead to even better deals and higher savings. Commissioner Jerred McKee said he wanted to make the jump to 100 percent renewable energy sooner rather than later.
“I’m just particularly interested in whatever the city of Manhattan can do to reduce their carbon footprint,” McKee said. “I don’t want to miss an opportunity because we think maybe in two or three years there may be a little bit of a lower rate.”
City Manager Ron Fehr said that as the city’s wastewater treatment plant continues to grow and look into new technology, they could potentially become an energy producer if they begin to use anaerobic processes in their treatment. He said leaving the agreement at 50 percent provides the city flexibility.
McKee said he loves the plan and is happy with the first step, but told city administration to expect him to continue to push for more of the city’s energy to be drawn from renewable sources. Mayor Pro Tempore Usha Reddi also spoke favorably of the agreement.
“I think this is a good position for Manhattan being that Kansas State University is already on board and it seems to be the way we want to go,” said Reddi. “Hopefully we will reap more rewards towards being more energy efficient and saving at some level.”
Commissioner Linda Morse jokingly asked when they would be accepting residential customers, but the agreements are only offered to customers who have a demand of 500 kilowatts or greater.
Westar Business Manager Mike Soliday told commissioners that if demand outpaces the available power output of the plant, they could look into constructing a new project to meet the demand at a future date.
