Three more Tri-State utilities enter partial membership plans with power wholesaler

WESTMINSTER — Three additional utilities have reached self-service agreements and are pursuing  partial memberships with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. The three local utilities will join three other utilities in exploring self-service options.

Mountain Parks Electric in Granby; High Plains Power in Riverton, Wyoming’ and Jemez Mountain Electric Cooperative in Espanola, New Mexico, are seeking plans to source power from sources other than Tri-State, their current wholesaler.

The three utilities that previously received this option were Fort Collins’ Poudre Valley Rural Electrical Association, Durango’s La Plata Electric Association and Nucla’s San Miguel Power Association. All three utilities made the move to a partial requirements membership on April 28.

Tri-State CEO Duane Highly said in a statement that the move would have benefits for both the members entering this program as well as the cooperative as a whole.

“Tri-State’s members crafted a win-win solution for both those members desiring greater power supply flexibility and those members that value their current power supply arrangements,” Highly said in a statement.

Currently, the majority of utilities working with Tri-State may source only 5% of their energy from outside sources or solar power within the communities they serve. The partial requirements membership option would allow utilities to source up to 50% of their energy from outside sources, in addition to the community solar and other self-supply projects.

United Power, Tri-State’s largest utility, has initiated a process to leave the wholesaler, citing concerns over costs and Tri-State’s mandate surrounding 95% of energy purchased. There is still a dispute over what costs the 100,000-member utility cooperative would have to pay in order to leave Tri-State.

Tri-State has reaffirmed its commitment to supplying at least 50% renewable energy by 2024, and the cooperative wholesaler reduced its rates by 4% from last year. The power wholesaler serves utilities in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and New Mexico.

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