CITIES AIM FOR 100 PERCENT RENEWABLES: BUT ARE THESE RESOLUTIONS ACHIEVABLE?

AuthorBest, Allen
PositionENERGY REPORT

In 1984, the Rawhide coal-fired power plant was born on the prairie north of Fort Collins. Back then, it was expected to live a useful life until 2047. Nowadays, its future isn't as clear.

Rawhide, a major power source for Fort Collins as well as three other Northern Colorado cities, produces electricity with relative efficiency, thus emitting less carbon dioxide. But as Fort Collins works to achieve ambitious greenhouse gas reductions by 2030, Rawhide's future will be under close scrutiny.

Coal-fired power plants have been closing in droves across the U.S., partly to reduce smog but also because of competition from now-plentiful natural gas and ever-more affordable renewable energy. At the same time, dozens of cities--including Boulder, Pueblo and Fort Collins--have adopted resolutions calling for 100 percent renewables in power supplies. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock wants an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050 from all energy sources, including heating and transportation.

Fort Collins, a city of 167,500, has been taking many small steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions since 1999. But in 2015, the city gained national attention for its ambitions: a modest decline in carbon by 2020, then a giant 80 percent reduction by 2030. The final goal, to be achieved by mid-century, is carbon neutrality across all sectors, including home heating and transportation.

This poses a question about the longevity of the 280-megawatt Rawhide plant, operated by the Platte River Power Authority, a generation and transmission association made up of Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and Longmont. Platte River began embracing wind energy in the late 1990s, the first utility in the region to do so. Non-carbon resources now comprise nearly one-third of Platte River's electricity. Directors of Platte River envision nearly 40 percent of the electricity being carbon-free by 2020. But for now, 67 percent of electricity comes from Rawhide's coal plant, supplemented by two other coal-fired power plants in Craig.

Can Platte River achieve deeper cuts? Directors recently commissioned a study, to be released later this year, investigating whether 100 percent net carbon-free electricity can be achieved by 2030. One option: closing Rawhide and divesting from the two plants in Craig. One of the plants already is scheduled to be retired in 2025 and the second in 2042. The four members of Platte River, including Fort Collins, which represents 47 percent of the load or...

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