RFP Alert: Central Coast Community Energy seeks power purchase agreements from multiple project categories

Central Coast Community Energy, the utility alternative that supplies power to more than 436,000 customers in Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties, is looking to buy more power. It has put out a request for proposals from companies that build solar, wind, storage, and other clean energy projects, aiming to meet state clean-energy requirements and keep the grid reliable.

This is a wholesale power deal between the utility and energy developers, not a program homeowners can apply to. It won't put money or rebates in your pocket directly. But it matters in a broader sense: if you live in one of these five counties and get your electricity through 3CE, the projects selected here shape where your power comes from and how reliable the grid is, including during high-demand periods when heat pumps and other electric equipment draw more power.

The contracts being sought must start generating power by the end of 2032, with deals ranging from 3 to 20 years, and 3CE says it prefers projects ready before 2030. Bidding is open now, with an information session for developers on September 16, 2026, and bids due September 25, 2026. None of this requires any action from residents — it's a background process that determines the region's power supply mix in the years ahead.