Co-op begins buying electricity from Whitefish electricity

With a start-up date of September 7, 2012, Flathead Electric Co-op officially began a two-phase power purchase agreement with the City of Whitefish for the advance purchase of electricity generated from the city’s hydro-electric generator. 

Flathead Electric paid the city $400,000 in advance for energy to be generated and delivered to the power grid during the first phase. This money, plus a $200,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant, provided through the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, was used to rebuild the hydroelectric facility. 

FEC General Manager Ken Sugden says the deal is mutually beneficial: “Pre-purchasing the energy made the project feasible for Whitefish and gives Flathead Electric another local source of clean energy. Eventually, the energy will be used in the City of Whitefish’s own water and sewer pumping loads.”

Whitefish City Manager Chuck Stearns agrees that the deal is reciprocal: “Flathead Electric gets to diversify its power source and, once our loan is offset, the energy goes toward our own consumption. I want to thank FEC for its tremendous effort in making this project go forward.”