FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Platte River Power Authority's Rawhide Energy Station Unit 1 has been included in a list of the best-utilized U.S. coal-fired power plants published by Electric Light & Power (EL&P) magazine.
According to EL&P, Rawhide's 2011 capacity factor was 93.9 percent, eighth highest in the nation. The average 12-month capacity factor for all 520 U.S. coal-fired power plants in the analysis was 62.8 percent. Capacity factor is a measure of power plant utilization calculated as the ratio of the actual output of the plant over a period of time to its output if it had operated at full capacity the entire time.
"Two of Platte River's top goals are excellent reliability and affordability," said Jackie Sargent, Platte River's General Manager. "As our largest and lowest-cost generation resource, it's imperative that Rawhide demonstrate exceptional performance. Our highly skilled and dedicated employees do an outstanding job of operating and maintaining our facilities."
EL&P has ranked Rawhide as one of the top 10 best-utilized plants in each of the last three years.
"Investments made in the plant and improved preventative maintenance practices have led to greater reliability over time -- allowing Rawhide to remain one of the top plants in the country," said Jason Frisbie, Platte River's Chief Operating Officer.