During its first meeting of 2025, the GRU Authority on Wednesday terminated its contract with solar provider Origis Energy and also heard from customers who weighed in on the growing national debate over the use of fluoride in drinking water.
The authority voted to end its solar power agreement with Origis Energy after GRU General Manager Ed Bielarski said the cost of the project had doubled since the initial Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) price in 2020. Bielarski defended the board’s decision, saying that it was not a unilateral decision and that a settlement had been reached with Origis to avoid a deal resulting in higher costs.
The agreement between GRU and Origis started on July 21, 2020, and initiated a PPA for 50 megawatts (MWh) of solar energy. Met with significant delays, the PPA was designed to help unincorporated parts of Alachua County. GRU said one of the biggest causes of the delay was the denial of a special use permit by the Alachua County Commission…