La Plata Electric, Tri State G&T
Jessica Matlock is CEO of La Plata Electric Association and Duane Highley is CEO of Tri State Generation & Transmission Association.
The clock is ticking as electric utilities see the pace of their clean-energy transition challenged by inflation, supply chain issues, and a prolonged federal decision-making process. In the west, several electric distribution cooperatives and their cooperative power supplier stand ready to increase power supply flexibility, reduce costs, and boost resiliency for more than a hundred thousand rural electric consumers.
Eight months ago, we filed a historic settlement agreement with the FERC that advances the needs of our members. The agreement is the result of years of work among Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association's forty-two utility members.
The agreement provides three of its members, including La Plata Electric Association (LPEA), the flexibility to obtain part of their power requirements from Tri-State, and part from other sources.
This settlement is groundbreaking, as it offers a new win-win model for distribution co-ops and the generation and transmission co-ops, of which they are members. It acknowledges that the energy industry is changing, and member-led efforts are aggressively driving an energy transition that is reliable, affordable, and flexible enough to meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.