The power co-op is making progress on its move toward a cleaner energy grid and greater member flexibility.
United Power
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News
After long battle, 3 Colorado electric co-ops may renegotiate with Tri-State instead of leaving outright
In the jockeying for a new relationship between Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and the rural cooperatives it supplies with electricity, three Colorado co-ops are seeking partial contracts with the power wholesaler — instead of leaving outright. Tri-State and some of its cooperatives have been battling over the association’s long-term contract, which requires members to […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News
United Power should be able to leave Tri-State for less than a tenth of a proposed $1.6B exit fee, federal report says
In the running battle over how much a suburban Denver electric cooperative must pay to leave the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, the co-op picked up some ammunition in a report by a federal energy economist that calls the association’s exit fee calculations flawed and unreasonable. The exit fee for Brighton-based United Power should be […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, News, Politics and Government
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 […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Rural electric co-ops get shocking estimates of the cost to break up with Tri-State Generation
Rural electric cooperatives seeking to leave the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association have received exit fee estimates in a federal filing and it adds up to billions of dollars The respective price tags for two Colorado co-ops in the forefront of the exit movement — Brighton-based United Power and Durango-based La Plata Electric Association — […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Tri-State must tell members seeking cleaner, cheaper energy how much it would cost to break up, regulators say
Western rural electric cooperatives that have repeatedly asked how much it will cost for them to leave the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association are facing “unjust and unreasonable or unduly discriminatory” hurdles in getting those numbers, according to federal energy regulators. “The lack of clear and transparent exit provisions has allowed Tri-State to impose substantial […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Co-ops trying to leave Tri-State say the electric utility is “stonewalling” by refusing to calculate the price to exit
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is “stonewalling” efforts by seven rural electric cooperatives – in Colorado, New Mexico and Nebraska – to get estimates on how much it will cost them to leave the association, according to a complaint filed with federal regulators. “Tri-State’s refusal to perform the calculation required… is patently unjust and unreasonable,” […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Xcel Energy floats “Power Pathway” plan to bring wind, solar power to cities from rural Colorado
Xcel Energy on Tuesday filed a plan with state electricity regulators for a $1.7 billion project to build 560 miles of transmission lines encircling eastern Colorado designed to bring wind and solar electricity to Front Range population centers from rural areas. The project – Power Pathway – would be done in collaboration with at least […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, Politics and Government
Dollars, not politics, are driving Colorado’s accelerated embrace of solar energy
HUDSON — Standing in the shade of a massive, utility-scale array of solar panels on farmland east of Interstate 25, you don’t have to look far for real-time examples of renewable sun power supplanting fossil fuels in the arc of Colorado’s historical energy supply. Electricity generated by the Rattlesnake solar array uploads to United Power’s […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Rural power utilities must have freedom to escape Tri-State
As someone from rural Colorado, I can say the benefits of living here clearly outweigh the challenges. But one thing I cannot stand is the double standard that applies to many services. For some reason, people in rural communities are told they have to accept fewer choices and higher prices than their big-city counterparts. The […]