Board Sets April 9 Workshop to Study Buying, Selling Electricity

San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, March 26, to start studying the idea of buying and selling electricity to county residents by scheduling a public workshop April 9 to hear from experts, consumer groups and other jurisdictions.

The workshop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 9, in the board chambers, room 310, at the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, in San Diego.

Supervisors voted unanimously in February to study the idea of Community Choice Energy programs, also known as community choice aggregation. These programs allow cities and counties to buy or generate and sell electricity to residents and businesses as alternatives to public utilities like San Diego Gas & Electric.

In its February vote, the board directed county staff to return in October – with public updates every two months – with a feasibility study that would include options, including the option of not creating a program, pros and cons and a business plan for the board to consider.

The scheduled April 9 public workshop will mark the first of the bimonthly updates.