PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County commissioners could join with the public utility district, the city and port to share expenses to determine how a power-providing PUD would affect the county.
After hearing a report from Jefferson County Public Utility District General Manager Jim Parker on Monday, county commissioners indicated they would formally address the matter during their regular meeting next Monday.
At issue is whether the PUD, which now handles water and sewer services for parts of the county, should be granted electrical power authority when Puget Sound Energy’s franchise for East Jefferson County expires.
The city is asking PUD, the port, city and county conduct a feasibility study while Jefferson County residents collect petition signatures to bring PUD power authority to a November vote.
The study could cost between $20,000 and $30,000, said Parker, and it would update a study PUD contracted in 2000.
Besides the estimated creation of more than 30 local jobs if the PUD were to land power authority from PSE, Parker said the federal Bonneville Power Administration, which sells wholesale power to utility districts in Clallam and Mason counties, would sell Jefferson County PUD cheaper power as well.
“Puget Sound Energy is being bought out,” Parker told the county commissioners Monday morning in their courthouse chambers.
“They are more of an investment company. They may be willing to sell off their investments . . . so it may be a shift in the whole philosophy of the company.”
A Canadian investment consortium that recently merged with PSE is led by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and British Columbia Investment Management Corp., and also includes Alberta Investment Management, Macquarie-FSS Infrastructure Trust and Macquarie Bank Ltd.
