Tri-State aims to keep energy affordable for rural customers.

• Author: Cote, Mike
• Position: UTILITIES - Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc.

Westminster-based Tri-State Generation is undergoing a shift toward renewable energy, thanks to mandates in Colorado and New Mexico.

Tri-State supplies power to 18 member electric cooperatives in Colorado, 12 in New Mexico, eight in Wyoming and six in Nebraska, serving nearly 1.5 million people.

This interview with Tri-State's Lee Boughey, senior manager for communications and public affairs, was edited for space and clarity from an interview also available as a podcast at cobizmag.com. (Look for part 1 of this conversation, which appeared in June, at cobizmag.com.)

ColoradoBiz: Tri-State made national headlines in October 2007 when a coal-fired plant it proposed to build with Sunflower Electric was rejected by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which cited concerns about greenhouse gases. What's the outlook for the project and what do consumers need to understand about the future of coal?

Boughey: The project was held up for a number of years and is now moving forward again with our partner utility in Kansas. We're trying to balance the risks that come with different technologies and trying to work with our membership to make the best decisions about how we'll provide them with a long-term fuel supply.

We have a modern, efficient, clean-burning coal fleet, and coal is a major contributor to how we deliver reliable, and most importantly, affordable electricity. What Tri-State is looking at now is how we can continue to preserve coal as an option. With the last round of efficiency improvements within our coal fleet, we're generating--with no increase in fuel use or emissions--enough extra power to power the equivalent of about 10,000 homes.

In addition, we're working with partner utilities in the Electric Power Research Institute to demonstrate clean-coal technologies. We've had a successful project wrap up in Wisconsin and are working on another project in West Virginia that is demonstrating how clean-coal technologies, carbon capture and...