The Town of Estes Park and the cities of Fort Collins, Longmont, and Loveland in Colorado on Oct. 30 signed an extension of the organic contract that established Platte River Power Authority in 1973.
“This milestone agreement extends the life of their partnership in the wholesale electric generation and transmission utility through 2075, reaffirming a shared commitment to delivering reliable, environmentally responsible and financially sustainable energy,” Platte River said.
“We’re pleased to extend this long-standing partnership with our fellow municipal utilities and Platte River Power Authority,” said Jeni Arndt, mayor of Fort Collins and chair of Platte River’s Board of Directors. “For more than 50 years, this collaboration has provided reliable, affordable power that strengthens our community and the entire region. Renewing our agreement reinforces that commitment and positions us for continued success as we transition toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.”
In addition to the organic contract, the communities also extended their respective power supply agreements with Platte River through 2075. The power supply agreements govern how Platte River delivers power to the owner communities.
The signing follows months of collaboration between Platte River and the owner communities to update and modernize the agreements.
Proposed changes were presented to the Town Board of Estes Park and the city councils of Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland throughout the fall, culminating into unanimous approvals by all governing bodies.
“I appreciate the board’s leadership and advocacy to extend these contracts with their town and city councils,” says Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO of Platte River. “Their support has been invaluable in engaging the councils, business owners and citizens about the value of Platte River as we continue to provide this critical health and safety service to our communities.”
A signing ceremony occurred just before Platte River’s board meeting where the board unanimously approved a resolution supporting 7.5% wholesale rate projections for 2027 and 2028.
The resolution reaffirms the board’s commitment to Platte River’s pursuit of a noncarbon energy future in light of increasing cost pressures faced by the utility industry for equipment and skilled labor.
“The extension of these agreements and the board’s unanimous approval of the resolution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to a noncarbon energy future,” said Joan Peck, mayor of Longmont and Platte River board member. “We must continue our decarbonization journey for the benefit of our communities.”
Since the adoption of its Resource Diversification Policy in 2018, Platte River has made significant strides toward achieving a 100% noncarbon energy mix. Guided by this board-approved goal, Platte River has expanded its renewable portfolio with the addition of new wind and solar projects, plus battery storage, amounting to about 1.5 million megawatt-hours of new renewable generation on the electric system (depending on weather conditions).
“I am incredibly proud of the progress Platte River is making to accomplish the goal we established just seven years ago,” said Jacki Marsh, mayor of Loveland and Platte River board member. “We are leading the energy transition for the region and for the country, and I’m honored to be part of the change.”
The owner communities and Platte River are also collaborating to install 5-megawatt batteries in each community and develop building blocks for a virtual power plant, leveraging the success of the Efficiency Works customer energy programs that currently provide product education, upgrade incentives, property assessments, and energy advising for efficiency upgrades, building and transportation electrification and distributed energy resources.
“These efforts represent major milestones in the region’s transition to clean energy,” said Gary Hall, mayor of Estes Park and vice chair of Platte River’s Board of Directors. “None of this would be possible without the partnership in Platte River. We are better together as we work toward realizing our shared vision for a more sustainable tomorrow.”
