PRPA hires new COO for power utility

FORT COLLINS — Platte River Power Authority has hired Melie Vincent to serve as the organization’s next chief operating officer. 

“I am pleased to welcome Melie to our senior leadership team,” Jason Frisbie, general  manager and CEO of Platte River, said in announcing the appointment. “In addition to leading operations and power production facilities for municipal utilities, Melie has extensive experience bringing utilities into organized energy markets, and I look forward to working with her to achieve Platte River’s goals.” 

Since 2001, Vincent has served in power supply and operations roles for electric utilities in Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas. Most recently, she served as the director of operations for the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority where she managed an energy portfolio including 900 megawatts of generation, directed portfolio planning analysis and managed renewable power  purchase agreements. 

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Platte River must prepare for the retirement of 431 megawatts (MW) of dispatchable, coal-fired generation by the end of the decade and address more frequent extreme weather events that can bring dark calms (periods when there is no sun or wind).

As COO, she will oversee power delivery, power supply, system engineering, system maintenance and facilities, and will lead the organization’s efforts to join an energy market. 

“Working in an industry that has a direct, positive impact on my neighbors is a privilege,” she said. “I look forward to putting my experience and values to work for Platte River and our  owner communities as we continue working toward a new energy future.”  

Vincent replaces former COO Andy Butcher, who accepted the position of general  manager for the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency in Greer, South Carolina, this year.