TID will discuss renewables, drought

The board of the Turlock Irrigation District will talk Tuesday about renewable power needs over the next 20 years and the dismal water conditions for the current year.

TID and other electricity retailers have to meet a state mandate to get at least 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. The Turlock district took care of most of that by building a wind project in Washington state. It will need other supplies, too, especially if the mandate increases to 50 percent by 2030, said a report from Willie Manuel, resource planning department manager.

The board could direct the staff to negotiate a 20-year agreement with a provider that has not been named. The options include wind, solar, small hydroelectric plants and other qualifying renewables. The hydro plant at Don Pedro Reservoir, which TID shares with the Modesto Irrigation District, does not count toward the mandate.

Manuel said a recent request for proposals drew favorable prices, showing that “it is currently a ‘buyer’s market’ for renewable power.”

The board had expected to set the 2015 irrigation allotment at Tuesday’s meeting. It will be postponed a week so more detailed information on the watershed conditions can be gathered, said Tou Her, assistant general manager for water resources. He plans to provide an update Tuesday.

District officials had said in January that farmers could be capped at 18 inches over the season, about 40 percent of what they can get in a year with ample rain and snow. The storms have been sparse since then.

TID faces a fourth straight year of below-average conditions in the Tuolumne River watershed. It got through the first two relatively well, thanks to water stored from the wet 2010 and 2011, but that buffer is getting low.

This story was originally published March 22, 2015 at 7:40 PM with the headline "TID will discuss renewables, drought."