About
The Coachella Valley Power Agency (CVPA) is a joint powers authority (JPA) established to provide local control and coordinated governance over electrical service in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California served by Imperial Irrigation District (IID). The agency emerged in response to electrical service representation concerns and increasing energy needs of the Coachella Valley.
The CVPA aims to give its member agencies collective authority to promote, develop, manage, and operate energy generation and distribution systems tailored to the needs of the eastern Coachella Valley. These efforts are focused on achieving reliable, cost-effective, and locally governed public power options for the region’s residents and businesses.
Founding Members
As of May 2025, the City of Indio, the City of La Quinta, and the County of Riverside have formally approved and entered into the CVPA Joint Powers Agreement. These three entities constitute the initial founding members, satisfying the legal minimum required to operationalize the agency under California’s Government Code governing JPAs. Each member agency appoints a representative to the CVPA Board, which holds voting power and decision-making authority on all matters related to the agency’s operation and strategic planning.
Background and Formation
The concept for the CVPA originated with the Coachella Valley Energy Commission (CVEC), an advisory group initiated by IID to assess governance and energy needs for the Coachella Valley. Additionally, the Imperial and Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commissions’ Alternative Governance and Electrical Service Study provided governance options analysis used by CVEC to help determine governance options for addressing the Coachella Valley’s electrical service needs. CVEC’s membership included multiple cities—such as Indio, La Quinta, Coachella, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and Indian Wells—along with Riverside County, CVWD, and several Tribal Nations including the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, and the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians. CVEC held over three years of meetings, studies, and workshops—many involving input from energy consultants—before voting in December 2024 to endorse the formation of the CVPA.
The resolution passed by CVEC included recognition of CVAG (Coachella Valley Association of Governments) as the appropriate administrative body to launch and manage the new agency during its startup phase. CVAG currently administers two other regional JPAs—Desert Community Energy (DCE) and the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC)—under similar staffing arrangements.
Governance and Administration
The CVPA is governed by a Board of Directors composed of one representative from each member agency. The Board oversees strategic decisions, project planning, and financial oversight. To streamline early operations, CVPA entered into a staffing agreement with CVAG, which provides administrative, legal, and technical support during the first five years. This arrangement enables the agency to avoid hiring full-time internal staff while benefiting from CVAG’s established resources and economies of scale.
Funding for CVPA operations and future energy projects may be drawn from a variety of sources, including:
- Member agency assessments
- Grants and public funding
- Retail electric rate surcharges in participating jurisdictions
- Development impact fees
- Loans and issuance of debt instruments
The CVPA is also expected to formalize a separate agreement with IID to define the respective roles, service areas, and infrastructure transition processes after the 2032 expiration of the current agreement.
Future Membership and Expansion
While only three agencies are current members, the CVPA Joint Powers Agreement is structured to allow additional jurisdictions and Tribal Nations to join. Membership is open to any public agency or Tribal government with a stake in electrical service provision in the Coachella Valley. The agency is seen as a vehicle for ensuring that regional energy planning aligns with local priorities in economic development, climate resilience, and sustainability.
The formation of the CVPA represents a significant step toward local energy autonomy in the Coachella Valley and is viewed by many regional leaders as a model for community-driven and coordinated utility governance in California.
CVPA Documents
Meeting Agendas
Please visit the CVAG Agendas page for CVPA meeting dates and agendas.