PRPA board votes to move toward 100% non-carbon fuel

FORT COLLINS — Platte River Power Authority’s board of directors on Thursday unanimously approved a policy meant to move the wholesale power supplier toward use of 100 percent non-carbon fuels by 2030.

The electric generator’s resource diversification policy depends upon advancements in technology but provides the framework for where the utility wants to end up in 2030. PRPA generates electricity for its owner cities — Fort Collins, Estes Park, Loveland and Longmont.

“Our leadership made a bold statement concerning our long-term mission and energy leadership in the northern Colorado region,” Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO for Platte River, said in a written statement.

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Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP), part of the UnitedHealthcare family, has pledged its commitment to uplift these communities through substantial investments in organizations addressing the distinct needs of our communities.

The policy directs Platte River management to proactively pursue the goal of obtaining a 100 percent non-carbon resource mix while maintaining the organization’s three core pillars to provide reliable, environmentally responsible and financially sustainable electricity and services. The resolution noted several advancements that must take place in order to achieve the non-carbon objective.

In particular, the utility said, Platte River will need to become a participant in an organized regional market so it can participate in more energy trading activities. Battery storage technologies and performance must mature, along with other storage solutions, so Platte River can more cost-effectively store energy produced by renewable energy resources. Greater investment and integration of the region’s transmission and distribution systems must occur to leverage more advanced grid management technologies and to take advantage of more diverse energy resources.

“The board’s action today formalized the path we have been on for some time,” said Frisbie. “Approximately 32 percent of the energy we deliver to our owner communities comes from non- carbon resources and, by 2020, about 50 percent of our energy will come from non-carbon resources.”

To reach the 50 percent non-carbon mark, Platte River will begin to take the output from a 150 megawatt wind farm that will be built in southern Wyoming, under a power purchase agreement with NextEra Energy that was signed earlier this year. In addition, Platte River plans to install an additional 20 megawatts of solar energy capacity at its Rawhide Energy Station located near Wellington. Longer term planning to achieve the 100 percent objective is currently taking place within Platte River’s integrated resource planning process. The final draft of the IRP is expected in 2020.