The Vallecito hydro plant could be providing over 18,000,000 kWHs of clean, reliable power to La Plata Electric Association every year. It can also do it below Tri-State’s costs, providing substantial savings to LPEA’s rate payers.
There’s just one problem: Tri-State Generation & Transmission’s Policy 115, “Tri State’s all-requirements” contract that has suppressed local energy investment for far too long.
The Vallecito hydro plant, in partnership with the Pine River Irrigation District, has been quietly and efficiently producing renewable local power since 1989.
Currently, the energy produced by the project is sold to Tri-State, which then marks up the cost significantly and “resells” it to LPEA. A future contract exclusively with LPEA could benefit the region by helping fund infrastructure investment.
Unfortunately Policy 115 blocks LPEA from buying Vallecito’s power directly. This bureaucratic overreach stifles innovation, restricts local job creation, and ultimately hurts approximately 1,400 local farmers and ranchers by driving water costs up.
Power sales revenue generated by Vallecito helps PRID pay for the dam, lake and maintenance staff. Through a revenue-sharing agreement, Vallecito also supports PRID’s irrigation water deliveries, helping keep water costs low for farms and ranches. The snowmelt stored in Vallecito reservoir provides irrigation to 53,000 acres of private farmland and 16,000 acres of Southern Ute Indian Tribal land, all in LPEA’s service territory.
John Witchel understands this important issue. We need his voice to keep electrical bills low and give us all the freedom to generate reliable power in Southwest Colorado.
Samuel Perry
Durango
