Interwest Applauds Colorado PUC Decision Approving Xcel Energy's Colorado Resource Plan

Statement by Craig Cox,

Executive Director of the Interwest Energy Alliance

on Colorado PUC Decision in Docket No. 07A-447E:

Xcel Energy’s “Colorado Resource Plan”

19 September 2008

Colorado’s electric power system is moving into the 21st century, and with today’s PUC decision, the state’s consumers will benefit from long-term cost stability, a cleaner environment and new economic benefits. The Interwest Energy Alliance applauds the Colorado PUC’s approval of Xcel Energy’s electric resource plan, which contains some of the nation’s most aggressive clean energy deployments, along with important carbon-reduction goals.

Clean, abundant and inexhaustible American energy resources such as wind and solar can, and must, play rapidly increasing roles in the electric resource mixes of Colorado and the nation. These market-ready energy technologies can be deployed quickly to meet rapidly growing demands for reliable, climate-friendly new power plants.

With this electric resource plan, Xcel Energy has taken a clear leadership role among the nation’s utilities and should be congratulated for its initiative.

During PUC hearings on this docket, Interwest expressed concern over issues that hindered even more aggressive acquisition of renewable energy projects. Chief among our concerns was how Xcel planned to accommodate (“integrate”) ever-increasing amounts of clean wind and solar energy on its system. We are very happy that Xcel has committed to solving the integration issue with new technical studies. In addition, we continue to seek aggressive new transmission deployment throughout Colorado and the West, at the PUC and in other venues.

Interwest also appreciates the PUC’s maintenance of a competitive acquisition market in its decision, protecting consumers by ensuring robust competition among renewable energy project developers.

The Interwest Energy Alliance is a trade association representing the nation’s leading wind and utility-scale solar energy industry companies, bringing them together with the West's non-governmental advocacy community. Interwest’s states of operation are Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

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Note: the web page for this PUC docket is http://www.dora.state.co.us/puc/DocketsDecisions/HighprofileDockets/07A-447E.htm