Westminster and power supplier talk contract extension

The year 2035 sounds like a long way off, but Westminster’s wholesale power supplier wants the city to now consider extending the deal farther into the future. August 1, 2035 is the date Westminster’s current contract with PMPA—the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency—expires. And last night three PMPA representatives engaged the mayor and council in a lengthy meeting that took place in both open and closed session. Mayor Brian Ramey said there would be no action taken last night. The open part of the meeting consisted of a detailed presentation by PMPA general manager Coleman Smoak that tracked the history of how Westminster and nine other upstate municipalities formed a consortium in the 1980s in which they secured their electric power supply by investing in 25% of a Duke Catawba nuclear unit. At the start, Smoak sought to make clear that PMPA was not some outside power company that sought out Westminster as a customer. As Smoak put it, “PMPA” is the cities. The PMPA manager’s presentation outlined financial debt that accrues to consortium members—even if any of them decides to withdraw from the arrangement. Ramey questioned Smoak about the amount of outstanding debt and when it is scheduled to be retired.