Electricity providers in Colorado are required by law to submit an Energy Resource Plan (ERP) to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The PUC reviews the ERP and ultimately approves it, thus providing the utility with the roadmap it needs to secure the resources and generation that will allow it to meet future demand for electricity. The utility is legally bound to follow the approved ERP., which in Tri-State’s case must reflect the needs of the rural areas where its member co-ops supply power. Tri-State is required to consider public input in its resource planning.

Planning for resources involves developing and assessing a range of growth rates, resource costs, capital costs, types of generation resources, energy efficiency programs, emissions limits, water usage, transmission capacity and other considerations. Finalizing the ERP requires input from resource modeling, load forecasts, economic projections and an evaluation of existing resources under various scenarios. The alternative scenarios are then compared on the basis of cost, environmental characteristics and other factors that include compliance with state regulations. All of this is then hashed out at an evidentiary hearing before the PUC.

Tri-State submitted the first draft of its proposed ERP in early December 2020. There already have been several revisions based on feedback from agencies and organizations that are formally participating in the PUC proceedings. The PUC hearings to consider Tri-State’s proposed ERP are currently scheduled to kick off on Jan. 31, 2022.