Riverside County approves new energy agency; Indio to vote on joining
Shay Lawson
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County supervisors approved the proposed Coachella Valley Power Agency-Joint Powers Authority, or CVPA-JPA, on Tuesday.
The CVPA-JPA establishes a new governing authority comprised of the county and multiple cities within the Coachella Valley, with the goal of eventually reducing power bills for residents.
Supervisor V. Manuel Perez released a press release on Tuesday stating:
“Along with the County of Riverside, the City of La Quinta has joined the JPA, and the Indio City Council will be considering joining the JPA at its meeting tomorrow. The JPA provides the ability for additional members, including Tribal nations and more cities, to join.”
Indio Councilmember Waymond Fermon said Indio currently has a long-term agreement with IID, the Indio Electric Finance Authority (IEFA).
“In 2023 the city of Indio took the initiative to work with IID to form our own Joint Power Authority in respect to addressing some of the concerns that we had in the city of Indio with power, infrastructure needs, reliability, redundancy and of course growth,” Fermon said.
He also said joining the CVPA-JPA will enhance the city’s power.
“It will still keep our rates low,” Fermon said. “That’s something that’s very important to our council. It’s very important to the other cities that we continue to have affordable rates.”
Indio’s vote on Wednesday could officially launch the CVPA-JPA.
Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest on whether it moves forward.