PUC will have say in municipalization effort

BOULDER – The Colorado Public Utilities Commission asserted at its meeting in Denver on Wednesday that it has ruling authority with regard to Xcel Energy Inc. assets that the city of Boulder is looking to acquire for the formation of a municipal electric utility.

For Boulder, that means the city would need to bring its plan for acquisition before the PUC, outlining which assets it is targeting, before filing any sort of condemnation suit. The PUC would then determine the feasibility of that plan, and what further facilities would be needed to keep the system operating reliably on both sides of…