Tri-State seeks proposals for new resources

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association has released the first of two solicitations to be issued this year for new power supply resources. The request for proposals announced today seeks proposals for resources to meet near-term member load growth and support the integration of renewable energy into Tri-State’s system. The wholesale power supplier expects to release a second solicitation specifically for renewable energy later in 2007.

“Tri-State is actively pursuing the balanced resource planning approach that we announced earlier this year,” said Tri-State executive vice president/general manager J.M. Shafer. “The addition of both highly-efficient natural gas generation and zero-emission renewable energy will strengthen and diversify our resource portfolio.”

Concurrently, Tri-State will analyze the development of a combined-cycle, natural gas-fired power plant in eastern Colorado. The RFP is being issued to evaluate alternatives, including power purchase agreements, to Tri-State's self-build option.

“Tri-State is in need of additional resources that can be called upon to meet our members’ near-term power requirements and facilitate the integration of renewable energy into our system,” said Tri-State senior vice president of generation Ken Anderson. “We will issue an additional solicitation specifically for renewable resources later this year, and we need to begin developing resources that can cost effectively manage the intermittent power produced from renewable energy.”

Combined-cycle power plants are intermediate resources that fill the gap between peaking power plants and baseload power plants. Peaking plants meet power requirements during the periods of greatest energy demand, while baseload power plants operate at all times to meet around-the-clock needs for electricity. The energy output from combined-cycle power plants can help utilities integrate intermittent renewable energy resources into their energy portfolios.

Later this year, Tri-State will issue a request for proposals for renewable resources to meet its members’ initial renewable portfolio standards requirements. Tri-State supported the renewable energy portfolio standards legislation passed earlier this year in both Colorado and New Mexico.

The RFP describes Tri-State’s request for up to 250 megawatts of intermediate power supply to serve its growing Colorado loads. The full RFP and timetable is available only from the Tri-State Web site at www.tristategt.org/rfp.

A Notice of Intent to Submit Proposal form must be submitted to Tri-State in accordance with Web site instructions no later than 3 p.m. MDT, Aug. 2, 2007. Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the instructions in the RFP and received by Tri-State no later than 3 p.m. MDT, Sept. 12, 2007. Tri-State expects the evaluation process to be completed by December 2007.

At its annual meeting in April 2007, Tri-State outlined its balanced approach to resource planning that meets the challenges of system-wide growth with a comprehensive set of supply-side and demand-side resources, investment in transmission facilities and pursuit of emerging energy technologies.

Tri-State supplies power to 18 member electric co-ops in Colorado, 12 in New Mexico, eight in Wyoming and six in Nebraska, which in turn provide electricity to more than 578,000 meters or a population of approximately 1.4 million people.