We’re launching a major initiative to update our long-term plan for how our community is powered. This effort, focused on the future of local electric generation, reliability, affordability, and sustainability, reflects our ongoing commitment to serving Zeeland residents with excellence for generations to come.
As energy markets evolve and demands on power systems increase, we’re proactively refreshing our Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which helps guide decisions about power generation and supply. The updated plan will account for critical changes such as tightening capacity markets, aging infrastructure, electrification, renewable energy targets, and shifting customer expectations.
The updated IRP process will unfold over several months, with opportunities for community involvement along the way. We look forward to sharing more as the project progresses. Learn more and see upcoming engagement opportunities at zeelandbpw.com/power-generation-supply
September 22, 2025 • Progress Meeting
A virtual meeting was held with BPW staff and nFront Consulting, LLC to review plans for the stakeholder engagement kick-off meeting scheduled for October 16 (“IRP-101 Informational Session”). The group also discussed the follow-up Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) meetings planned for November through January, as well as the process for customer surveys, including timing and administration strategies. Updates on the IRP study were provided: nFront’s team has begun work and will soon reach out to discuss specific modeling assumptions.
September 4, 2025 • Progress Meeting
A virtual meeting was held with BPW staff and nFront Consulting, LLC to discuss the stakeholder engagement process and upcoming public meetings. A tentative public kick-off meeting was scheduled for mid-October, with final confirmation date to come from BPW staff. The group also reviewed the Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) process, and nFront committed to providing BPW with a draft summary of that process, along with a revised project schedule including SWG meeting dates, by the close of business Friday, September 12, 2025. Discussion further centered on the structure and content of the meetings and strategies for effectively facilitating public engagement.
August 19, 2025 • Progress Meeting
A virtual progress meeting was held with four members of BPW staff and two members of nFront Consulting, LLC, participating in the one-hour session.
The team discussed formats for public stakeholder meetings. The consensus was to schedule in-person public meetings where significant discussion is anticipated, while using virtual meetings and online content for informational or educational presentations on topics such as “IRP Essentials” and an overview of the available generation technologies.
The group also considered methods to identify stakeholder participants to ensure representation from across the community and customer base. This would include large commercial and industrial customers, economic development groups, retailers, residential customers, environmental advocacy groups, and community organizations.
The concept of establishing a Stakeholder Working Group was reviewed. Participants in this group would commit to a code of conduct, attend informational sessions, and come prepared to actively participate and contribute to stakeholder meetings.
Another key topic was the development of a dedicated project webpage to provide timely updates, recaps of public meetings (including presentation materials and summaries), and an opportunity for the community to submit questions. This webpage is currently being developed by Yellow Lime Creative, BPW’s media consultant, and will be launched soon. The team agreed that this resource is essential to ensure transparency and effective communication.
Finally, the group discussed the need for workflow procedures to clarify responsibilities and ensure that all tasks and public-facing materials are prepared and distributed in a timely and complete manner.
nFront committed to developing a detailed Stakeholder Engagement plan that will be reviewed and discussed at the next progress meeting. Action items will also be assigned and added to the ongoing list.
August 8, 2025 • Stakeholder Engagement Kick-Off Meeting
A virtual kick-off meeting for the Stakeholder Engagement (SE) portion of the project was held to initiate that phase. Four members of BPW/City staff and four members of nFront Consulting, LLC, participated in the one-hour session.
The team discussed preliminary steps to evaluate the appropriate depth of the stakeholder engagement process to ensure effective outreach to community stakeholders. Methods to identify stakeholder groups were reviewed, and initial planning began for stakeholder engagement meetings and sessions, including tentative scheduling so BPW can publish dates to encourage participation.
The group also addressed communication and transparency, focusing on how best to engage stakeholders, the public, and internal BPW/City staff.
nFront will develop a list of action items, including preparation of a document outlining proposed engagement activities and sequence of events, coordination with BPW to confirm the approach and finalize stakeholder group identification, development of a preliminary schedule, and clarification of BPW responsibilities.
July 29, 2025 • IRP Update Kick-Off Meeting
A virtual kick-off meeting for the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) update portion of the project was held to initiate the project. Five members of BPW/City staff and five members of nFront Consulting, LLC, participated in the two-hour meeting.
The team conducted a detailed review of the scope of work outlined in the RFP and nFront’s proposal. This included identifying key parameters and assumptions to be used in updating the IRP. The project schedule was also discussed, and bi-weekly progress calls were established to be held throughout the duration of the project.
nFront will prepare a list of action items and provide them via SharePoint, which staff are also using to supply the information identified in the initial Data Request. A separate Stakeholder Engagement kick-off meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks to address that portion of the project.
