Lubbock Power & Light Director David McCalla Announces Retirement

McCalla informed the Electric Utility Board of his retirement effective February 2022.

Lubbock Power & Light (LP&L) Director David McCalla informed the Electric Utility Board of his intention to retire in February 2022 at their regularly scheduled September board meeting. McCalla has served in his role of Director of Electric Utilities for LP&L since September 2014.

“David McCalla served in his role as Director with wisdom and integrity since his arrival in 2014 and will be sorely missed by all of us,” said Dan Odom, Electric Utility Board Chairman. “David’s expertise and decision-making guided us through a very difficult time of transition and the result of his leadership is a utility that is stronger today than in almost any time in its 100 year history. We thank David for his leadership and we will always be grateful for the great work he did for Lubbock Power & Light.”

The retirement of David McCalla will come after 41 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Prior to joining LP&L in 2014, McCalla served as General Manager of Greenville Electric Utility System for eight years. McCalla graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. In retirement, he and his wife Janet plan to remain in Lubbock as they have deep ties to the community.

McCalla joined LP&L during a time of transition as the utility was in the midst of deciding how the utility would supply power to Lubbock citizens beyond the 2019 expiration of a long-term power contract. Under McCalla’s leadership, LP&L established a set of goals to guide the decision-making process that ultimately led to the decision to seek integration to the ERCOT market.

With the successful integration into ERCOT, LP&L has benefited by eliminating the need to build an expensive power plant with estimated debt costs ranging from $350 to $700 million, cutting their wholesale power costs by eliminating expensive fixed capacity charges, and creating a revenue stream for Lubbock ratepayers through new transmission lines connecting Lubbock to the ERCOT system. These benefits, along with having a more diversified energy portfolio and simplified regulatory environment, will benefit Lubbock ratepayers for years to come. It will also open the door to bringing competition back to the Lubbock market.

Reliability of the LP&L system was an item of major importance during McCalla’s term as Director. LP&L invested over $300 million in the electric grid resulting in a near doubling of its capacity over the past four years and substantial technological advances were implemented creating a more robust and efficient system for its customers. LP&L made substantial investments while at the same time freezing base rates for customers since 2017. This achievement was made possible through reductions in costs and more efficient financial planning.

The LP&L Electric Utility Board will now engage in a nationwide search to find McCalla’s replacement. This process will begin immediately in order to select the new LP&L Director by the stated February 2022 retirement date.

“It has been an honor to work with exceptional leaders and public servants on the City Council and Electric Utility Board over the last seven years,” said McCalla. “I have also been privileged to work with dedicated professionals and service-minded coworkers of LP&L. My efforts over the next few months will focus on ensuring a smooth transition to new leadership.”