On April 27, Colorado Springs Utilities issued a competitive solicitation for up to 300 megawatts of utility-scale wind, solar and energy storage projects.
Responses are due by June 5, 2026.
“Our acquisition process is designed to be open, thorough and competitive,” the Colorado public power utility noted.
It manages all solicitations through the SOVRA BidNet platform. Suppliers wishing to submit a bid must first register within the platform. An informational document is available for suppliers to review outside of the SOVRA BidNet platform.
While solar, wind and battery storage are the primary resources being evaluated, we’re open to other solutions that can meet our reliability and sustainability requirements without jeopardizing our in-service date of May 1, 2030.
"The goal is to deliver strong value to customers while also helping to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in support of our vision: Ready for today, prepared for a sustainable future. We need the right mix of resources that work together to deliver during peak demand and perform reliably under real-world conditions," it said.
In April, the utility officially joined the Southwest Power Pool regional transmission organization -– a major milestone for the utility's electric system.
Participation in the SPP allows it to access a broader regional market, where power is centrally dispatched from the most cost-effective available resources. Through this solicitation, Colorado Springs Utilities is looking for projects within SPP’s Rocky Mountain Deliverability Area.
To meet the utility's long-term planning objectives, proposed projects must demonstrate:
- Reliable performance across a wide range of weather conditions.
- Commercial readiness, including realistic construction and interconnection timelines.
- Operational flexibility to participate effectively in the SPP market.
- Competitive pricing that balances cost, performance and risk.
- Strong deliverability, minimizing congestion and transmission challenges.
