Platte River Power Authority adds significant new wind power

Purchased power agreement to create 48 percent non-carbon portfolio

FORT COLLINS, Colo., January 23, 2018 – Platte River Power Authority Tuesday signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for 150 megawatts of new wind power capacity to serve its four owner municipalities – Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland.

The additional wind power will come from a new wind farm located less than 20 miles north of Platte River’s Rawhide Energy Station. Enyo Renewable Energy’s subsidiary, Roundhouse Renewable Energy LLC, will construct the Roundhouse project with up to 75 wind turbines across 14,000 acres of land as well as the additional transmission capacity needed to bring the carbon-free energy to Platte River’s four municipalities. The new transmission line will connect the wind power directly to Platte River’s transmission system at the Rawhide Station and will nearly triple Platte River’s existing output from wind.

“Platte River took a giant leap today to further diversify the energy portfolio serving northern Colorado,” said Jason Frisbie, CEO of Platte River Power Authority. “With this acquisition, we will dramatically increase our non-carbon energy footprint on behalf of our municipalities and northern Colorado residents.”

“We’re pleased to move forward and partner with Platte River on such a unique project,” said Christine Mikell, principal of Enyo Renewable Energy. “This project will become a tremendous renewable energy resource for Platte River.”

With the contracts in hand, Mikell said Enyo can begin efforts immediately to work with regional regulatory agencies so that construction may begin as soon as possible.

More than 30 percent of the electricity currently supplied to Platte River’s owner municipalities comes from carbon-free resources (hydro, wind and solar). This amount ranks among the highest levels provided by wholesale electric suppliers in the Rocky Mountain Region and is about twice the national average. By adding the 150 megawatts of wind power in late 2020, Platte River could achieve a 48 percent carbon-free energy portfolio for its customers.

In mid-2017, the Platte River Board directed staff to seek proposals to add up to 50 megawatts of new wind power capacity as part of its strategy to diversify resources while balancing financial and environmental interests. Many of the proposals featured wind power at attractive rates and Platte River’s leadership determined that significant additions could be made to its system without impacting reliability. In December, the Platte River Board expressed support for the PPA.

“We will continue to depend upon our baseload resources to provide us with reliable, low-cost and comparatively clean energy,” noted Frisbie. “This additional wind power helps our municipalities achieve significant carbon reduction objectives while continuing to meet our three primary objectives:  reliability, environmental responsibility and financial sustainability.”

In 1998, Platte River became the first utility in the region to provide wind energy to customers in Colorado. It’s wind power portfolio is currently comprised of three separate PPAs with a combined generating capacity of 78 megawatts emanating from three wind farms located in northern Colorado and Wyoming. In 2016, Platte River began taking power from a 30-megawatt solar installation located on its Rawhide Energy Station property. Platte River also maintains a long-term contract with the Western Area Power Administration for 90 megawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity.

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Platte River Power Authority is a not-for-profit wholesale electricity generation and transmission provider that delivers safe, reliable, environmentally responsible and competitively priced energy and services to its owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, Colorado, for deliver to their utility customers.

Enyo Renewable Energy, a joint venture between MAP® Renewable Energy and Enyo, LLC, is a wind and solar development company specializing in developing utility-scale renewable energy projects. Enyo’s specialized knowledge of the Intermountain West coupled with its focus on building relationships allows Enyo to build for the long-term benefit of our host communities and project partners.

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