County of Los Alamos - File #: 21994-26

• File #: 21994-26
• Version: 1
• Type: Briefing/Report (Dept,BCC) - Action Requested
• Status: Consent
• File created: 7/23/2026
• In control: County Council - Regular Session
• On agenda: 7/28/2026
• Title: Approval of Modification 27 to Extend the Contract Term of the Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA) between the Incorporated County of Los Alamos and the United States Department of Energy (DOE)
• Presenters: Ben Olbrich; Philo Shelton
• Indexes (Council Goals): Quality Excellence - Effective, Efficient, and Reliable Services, Quality Governance - Fiscal Stewardship, Quality Governance - Intergovernmental and Regional Relations, DPU FY26 - 1.0 Provide Safe and Reliable Utility Services, DPU FY26 - 2.0 Achieve and Maintain Excellence in Financial Performance, DPU FY26 - 6.0 Develop and Strengthen Partnerships
• Related files: 21707-26a

Title
Approval of Modification 27 to Extend the Contract Term of the Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA) between the Incorporated County of Los Alamos and the United States Department of Energy (DOE)
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve Modification 27 to the Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA) between the Incorporated County of Los Alamos and the Department of Energy (DOE).
I further move that Council assign signature authority for Modification 27 to the Utilities Manager.
Utilities Manager's Recommendation
The Utilities Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
The Board of Public Utilities approved Modification 27 at their regular meeting held on July 22, 2026, and recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Body
The Power Pool was established through the Electric Coordination Agreement (ECA) between Los Alamos County and The Department of Energy (DOE) in 1985. (Note: In 2002 the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was established as a branch of the Department of Energy and took over responsibility for the ECA. The acronyms NNSA, DOE, and LANL may be used interchangeably throughout this discussion). Through the contract, both parties contribute the power from, and costs of, each of the respective "Pool Approved Resources" into the pool, and those costs are then allocated back to the parties pro rata according to each party's usage. The contract has been renewed continuously since 1985. Historically the County has contributed approximately 75% of the resources, while the Lab has accounted for approximately 80% of the load.

The proposed Modification 27 changes the ECA expiration date from July 31, 2026 to August 31, 2026. This extension of the ECA provides necessary time for staff to complete final revisions of the 2026 ECA contract which is planned to supersede the current ECA. The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and the DOE need another...