Tri-State Adds 67 Megawatts Of Wind Energy

The wind farm will use GE wind turbines and will be developed by Colorado Highlands Wind, LLC, which is jointly owned by Alliance Power, Inc. of Littleton, Colo., and GE Energy Financial Services of Stamford, Conn. Financial terms of the contract are being held confidential and were not disclosed.

Increasing the amount of renewable resources in our energy mix further diversifies our overall generation portfolio, said Tri-State executive vice president and general manager Ken Anderson. It not only attracts investment to the communities our member co-ops serve, but it also keeps us on schedule in assisting our members to meet their obligations under state renewable portfolio standards, he said.

Highline Electric is pleased to be in position to provide service to Colorado Highlands Wind and we re looking forward to working with them during the construction process, said Mark Farnsworth, manager of the local electric co-op. We also appreciate the economic development opportunities that the project provides in our service territory.

The agreement culminates a process begun in October 2011 when Tri-State issued a request for proposals for renewable energy supply, which resulted in nearly 50 responses consisting of a variety of technologies and potential locations.

Colorado Highlands Wind will be the third utility-scale renewable energy facility from which Tri- State receives all of the electrical output and renewable energy credits. In 2010 the wholesale power supplier began purchasing the power generated at the 51-megawatt Kit Carson Windpower Project in eastern Colorado as well as the 30-megawatt Cimarron Solar Power Facility in northeastern New Mexico.

By José Santamarta, www.ge.com