Tri-State G&T asks for 2025 projects

Wholesale provider wants renewable generation — but no new natural gas

Wholesale supplier Tri-State Generation & Transmission has issued a request for proposals from developers of renewable and carbon-free resources. The new resources are targeted for use beginning in 2025, although in some cases projects going on line in 2026.

What’s most interesting is what Tri-State will not consider: natural gas.

What will be considered are wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass, but also storage: standalone battery systems, pumped-storage hydroelectric, compressed air energy storage systems. Also considered will be renewable resources co-located with thermal or battery storage.

Tri-State intends to close the bidding this summer. Within five months, it will file with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission an analysis of 5 or 6 different portfolios – including the one that Tri-State prefers.

Setting the stage for this RFP was a settlement agreement reached in April among two-dozen parties, including environmental groups, member cooperatives, state agencies and others. Unlike with the settlement agreement regarding Xcel’s electric resource plan, there was no dissension.

Tri-State has been pivoting rapidly from coal generation in the last several years. It added 204 megawatts of wind power in 2021 and plans to add 734 megawatts of solar in 2023 and 2024.

Today, 34% of energy consumed by Tri-State’s 42 member cooperatives in Colorado and three adjoining states is non-carbon. By 2024, that number will have grown to 50%. Tri-State has promised to reduce emissions from its electrical generation at least 80% by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels.

Mountain Parks Electric among 3 cooperatives that want partial requirements

Four member cooperatives of Tri-State Generation and Transmission have applied to get partial requirements contracts. This is in addition to La Plata and San Miguel, which both previously applied and have pending contracts with Tri-State.

The names of the four have not been released, but one of them includes Mountain Parks Electric, which serves the Winter Park, Kremmling, and Walden areas of Colorado. Directors unanimously supported an application for 20 megawatts, which would supply about a third of the cooperative’s demand.

Tri-State had initially announced availability of 300 megawatts of capacity. After that first go-around, 97 megawatts of capacity were left available for this second round.

Top photo: Crossing Trails wind farm near Kit Carson, in eastern Colorado. Photo/Allen Best

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