August brings several important updates for our LPEA community. From wildfire safety to our energy transition and advocacy work, I want to share how we’re working every day to keep your power reliable, affordable, and increasingly local.
Regional Fires and Member Safety
Our teams are closely monitoring wildfire activity across the region. Crews coordinate with local emergency services to keep power safe and reliable, and we are prepared to implement planned or precautionary outages if conditions require.
What you can do:
- Make sure your contact information is current in SmartHub so we can alert you quickly.
- Stay updated through text alerts, our website, and local notifications like CODE RED (La Plata County) and NIXLE (Archuleta County).
To help protect our members and communities, I met with the Colorado Commissioner of Insurance to discuss potential state reinsurance programs. These programs could give utilities like LPEA additional support to manage wildfire risks, ensuring our crews have the resources they need to act quickly and safely.
Transitioning to a Local, Reliable Energy Future
We’re taking steps to ensure your electricity remains reliable, affordable, and increasingly local over the next decade. As we approach our April 1, 2026 departure from our current wholesale power contract, here’s what’s happening:
Future Portfolio Development
We completed a Request for Proposals (RFP) for future power projects starting in 2028. We received over 70 proposals totalling 3,600 megawatts, many from local developers in the Four Corners region. This strong response shows the energy industry’s interest in serving our community with clean, reliable power.
Proposals are being evaluated based on:
- Total cost and price stability
- Local projects and flexibility
- Environmental impact (targeting an 80% reduction in GHG by 2030)
- Reliability and resource adequacy
When we bring new PPAs to the Board for approval, we will share those opportunities with our members.
Risk Policy Development
We’re making progress in the creation of our own risk policy, which is how we plan for financial and operational challenges in energy markets. This ensures LPEA can make smart, safe decisions for members while keeping your electricity reliable and affordable.
A risk policy typically covers:
- Scope, objectives, and purpose
- Markets and related risks
- Management and control structures
- Risk limits and measurement
- Credit policies
This work is led by our Finance and Audit Committee (FAC), with support from The Energy Authority. The next FAC meeting is Wednesday, September 10, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Zoom: lpea.coop/finance-and-audit-committee.
Advocacy & Legislative Work
I attended the Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA) meeting and advocated at the Colorado Capitol on issues important to LPEA members. Highlights include:
- Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) Study: CREA will be conducting a study to evaluate how regional energy markets, like the Southwest Power Pool, may impact co-ops
- Large Load Planning: Assessing the impact of new large energy users in our area
- Net Metering Policy: Supporting fair policies for solar and distributed energy resources
- Organized Labor: Collaborating to address challenges in the 2040 clean energy bill
I also had the honor of joining state legislative leaders aboard the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. It was rewarding to see the intersection of my former legislative work and my current role at LPEA.
Financial & Credit Update
We received funding approval from the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation for the contract termination payment a key step in our energy transition. This week, Fitch Ratings is visiting Durango as part of the process to obtain LPEA’s first-ever credit rating, an important milestone for financial transparency and strength.
Thanks to your support, LPEA is not just keeping the lights on: we’re leading the way toward a cleaner, more reliable, and locally focused energy future for our community.
Chris Hansen, CEO