Tri-State plan not likely to position utility for transition

Pagosa Daily Post:

Tri-State Generation and Transmission released its long-awaited plan for transitioning to clean energy, but as praiseworthy as some of the developments in it are, the plan’s over-reliance on fossil fuels for years to come leaves significant doubts about Tri-State’s ability to adapt to seismic shifts in the energy landscape and to allow its 22 member rural electric cooperatives in Colorado to benefit economically from developing local clean energy resources.

A recent analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, using filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, documents how Tri-State plans to begin raising rates in 2030 at an average of 2.1% a year for 20 straight years and that by 2050, rates are projected to be $118 per megawatt-hour, a 55 percent increase on top of its already high costs. 

[Eric Frankowski]

More: Opinion: Tri-State ‘Clean Energy Plan’ Not Clean Enough, and Too Expensive