Xcel Energy will seek to add about 550 MW of new wind generation in Colorado between now and 2016, bringing the company’s Colorado wind generating capacity to more than 2,700 MW
A 100-MW wind farm owned by Xcel Energy in Dexter, Minn. (Photo: www.xcelenergy.com)
In announcing the results of its wind request for proposal (RFP) to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Xcel Energy noted that the winning bids will provide additional, low-cost energy for the company’s customers.
“Xcel Energy set out earlier this year to determine if we could add wind capacity in an economically beneficial way, and the results of this RFP show that we can. The price for this additional wind generation is as low as any wind power currently operating on our Colorado system,” said David Eves, president and CEO of Public Service Co. of Colorado, an Xcel Energy company.
“These projects meet our customers’ interest in a clean, reliable and diverse energy supply, and do so at prices that would make sense for our customers regardless of any environmental regulations,” Eves added.
The additions are the result of the company’s wind request for proposal issued in March, which sought to take advantage of a recent extension of federal tax credits for developers of new wind projects. The CPUC must still review and approve these proposed additional wind projects, and developers will have a compressed timeframe for project development by the end of the year.
In mid-February, Xcel Energy announced plans to accelerate components of its 2013 All-Source Solicitation, which included a wind bid RFP. The company and the CPUC agreed to an accelerated schedule for soliciting and evaluating new wind proposals, through a transparent and fair process, that would enable winning projects to qualify for federal Production Tax Credits (PTCs).
If approved, the company would begin negotiating power purchase agreements (PPAs) with selected bidders in June and would expect final CPUC approval to come sometime in October 2013.
Xcel Energy
www.xcelenergy.com
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