Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is at a crossroads as its 42 rural co-ops look to generate more of their own electricity or buy it on the open market
Guzman Energy
Delta County thought solar panels were a baaaaad idea. But what if there were 1,000 sheep grazing under them?
The question before the Delta County Commission this month is whether 1,000 sheep can forge a path for dozens of solar panels — after the commissioners rejected a solar project citing concerns about losing farmland. In March, the commission, on a 2-1 vote, rejected an 80-megawatt solar project covering 475 acres just outside of Delta, […]
Western Slope county rejects solar project over fear of losing a sliver of farmland
A plan to provide solar power to a Western Slope rural electric cooperative ran aground last week when the Delta County Board of Commissioners rejected a zoning change for the 472-acre project, citing concerns over the loss of farmland in the county. The 80-megawatt solar project proposed by Guzman Energy would have supplied the Delta-Montrose […]
United Power makes good on threat to break its contract with Tri-State Generation
After years of legal sparring, United Power, the largest electric cooperative in the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, is moving to break with the wholesale power provider. The Brighton-based co-op filed notice of its intent to withdraw from the association, effective January 2024, with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The FERC oversees Tri-State. United follows […]
Bold $500 million offer to replace 3 coal-powered plants with renewables, gas met by reluctance from Tri-State
Guzman Energy made the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association an offer that it apparently could refuse. The Miami-based energy contractor is ready to pay about $500 million to buy three coal-fired power plants and a coal mine near Craig from Westminster-based Tri-State with plans to close them. In their place Guzman would build a combination […]
Colorado co-op’s fight for renewable energy could upend how rural communities are powered
A battle between a Western Slope rural electric cooperative and one of the country’s largest co-op power providers has intensified, setting the stage for what may be a significant change in how and where some rural communities get their electricity. On one side is the Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA), the Montrose-based co-op serving about 33,000 […]
A Western Slope electric co-op’s demand for renewable energy is barreling toward a legal showdown
The battle between a West Slope rural electric cooperative and one of the largest power wholesalers in the West has tumbled into the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The Delta-Montrose Electric Association, stymied in its efforts to quit its contract with power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, has filed a complaint with the PUC asking […]