Brighton, CO – United Power, Inc. today announced it has entered into an agreement with Aypa Power for the Fortress project, a hybrid renewable energy project that will combine 200 megawatts (MW) of solar with 150 MW / 600 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery energy storage near the City of Brush in Morgan County.
 
Scheduled to come online in 2027, Fortress will generate and store power for United Power members under a long-term power purchase agreement. The project supports the cooperative’s ongoing efforts to strengthen grid reliability and manage long-term power supply costs through a more diverse and locally sourced energy portfolio.
 
“United Power continues on a path to diversify and localize the power we purchase and deliver to our members,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power President and CEO. “We are investing in local projects that create a more robust generation system, which, in turn, will help us stabilize electric costs while investing in area economies. As the country grapples with the rising price of electricity, the cooperative is actively managing costs and seeking additional local generation resources. We believe our vision of a hyperlocalized electric system is the future of power production and it is an investment that will benefit all our members.”
 
Since leaving its former wholesale power provider in May of 2024, United Power has continued to invest in a portfolio of locally produced power sources, including several renewable energy and battery storage projects. Projects like Fortress represent significant investments in the state, helping ensure tax revenue and job creation benefit the communities United Power serves, while supporting a more resilient and member-focused energy network.

“Aypa Power is pleased to partner with United Power to bring the first phase of a 600 MW solar and battery storage complex online in Colorado,” said Dan Santelli, Chief Commercial Operator at Aypa Power. “Fortress will deliver low-cost energy and provide critical reliability, while supporting United Power’s commitment to dependable and locally sourced power.”

To learn more about United Power’s energy transition and its power portfolio, visit the cooperative’s website at www.unitedpower.com. 

About United Power

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms, and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The cooperative is one of the fastest-growing electric co-ops in the nation, serving more than 115,000 meters. Its 900-square mile service territory extends from the mountains of Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyon, along the I-25 corridor and Carbon Valley region, to the farmlands of Brighton, Hudson, and Keenesburg. For more information about United Power, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow the cooperative on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

About Aypa Power

Aypa Power, a Blackstone portfolio company, develops, owns, and operates utility-scale energy storage and hybrid renewable energy projects across North America. With 30 projects currently in operation or under construction, and a development pipeline exceeding 22 gigawatts, Aypa delivers solutions that strengthen grid reliability, integrate renewable energy, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Aypa has been at the forefront of energy storage development since its first energy storage project came online in 2018. For more information, follow Aypa Power on LinkedIn or visit www.aypapower.com.

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Proactive Strategies to Protect Members & Communities

A small neighborhood on the northeast side of the Gross Dam Reservoir in Coal Creek Canyon was evacuated late last summer after a fire erupted at a work site in the community. The Lake Shore Fire damaged at least two structures and burned nearly seven acres before it was contained. Although United Power members were minimally impacted due to the rapid response of local emergency management teams, the close call demonstrates the reality of wildfire risks in Colorado.

October is nationally recognized as Fire Prevention Month, but for the cooperative, every day is an ongoing effort to improve fire mitigation strategies that protect members and communities. United Power debuted its first official Wildfire Mitigation Plan in 2019 to highlight existing programs and guide future initiatives. It directs the cooperative to implement industry-leading strategies and utilize innovative technologies that identify and address risk factors. Like Our Cooperative Roadmap, the plan evolves each year through review and revision, accounting for emerging technology and new data about the service territory. 

“A wildfire mitigation plan is essential for any electric utility and is top of mind at United Power,” said Adam Dillon, Vice President of Operations. “Not only does it prepare us for a wildfire event and help protect our communities, it also helps improve our system reliability and keeps us engaged with the communities we serve.”

The single largest element of the plan is its robust and aggressive approach to vegetation management, which includes clearing rights-of-way and increasing accessibility to electrical equipment for maintenance and outage restoration. Clearing overgrowth is critical and removes hazards that could create an ignition or fuel source. The cooperative onboarded a new solution for efficiently scheduling and tracking vegetation management projects called AiDash in 2021. The sophisticated software leverages artificial intelligence with satellite imagery to establish growth patterns and identify risks in real time. The implementation was so successful that AiDash recognized United Power for its impact on wildfire risk reduction.

One of the cooperative’s challenges in wildfire mitigation is serving a rugged mountain territory with difficult terrain for crews to inspect efficiently. United Power recently enhanced its drone inspection program with light detection and ranging imaging — more commonly known as LiDAR — to map high risk areas and conduct line inspections. This imaging helps quickly identify issues so that repairs can be made sooner. The first flights took place late last year with additional focus earlier this summer.

The implementation of AiDash and LiDAR continues the cooperative’s historical trend of reviewing and deploying new technology in innovative ways that improve system resiliency and mitigate wildfire risk. The cooperative has long been an industry leader for its deployment of automated smart devices, which allows the cooperative to quickly restore power during an outage or cut the flow of power during high-risk fire weather. United Power also uses infrared cameras to detect heat signatures at its substations and sensors strategically located in high-risk areas that can detect smoke and gas particulates. 

“We are always looking at ways to improve our mitigation plan,” said Travis Rodlin, Mountain Area Manager. “Technology is ever changing. Our use of artificial intelligence may increase as it evolves to improve speed and efficiency of our evaluations and efforts. Hybrid undergrounding is also being researched within the industry, which could benefit areas where undergrounding was not previously cost effective or possible.”

United Power has developed operational procedures, called Wildfire Safety Mode, that are enacted when the National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings. These warnings mean the combination of weather conditions — high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds — increase the risk of fire danger. While in wildfire safety mode, the system will automatically de-energize line segments when foreign objects are detected, and they will remain off until crews have completed a manual inspection. Another inspection is completed after power is restored. This may temporarily increase outage restoration times but substantially increases safety and reduces fire risk. 

“Ultimately, wildfire mitigation cannot be the sole responsibility of any single utility,” Rodlin said. “It requires a community-wide commitment. Proactive measures like home hardening, creating defensible space, and property-wide mitigation are essential to help our communities be better prepared. That is why we actively collaborate at the county and state levels and will continue to support local efforts to build a more resilient community together.” 

Members can learn more about the cooperative’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan here. 
 

Brighton, CO – United Power is pleased to announce the hiring of Jared Nelson as its Vice President of Energy Resource Planning. He will join the cooperative on Sept. 22.

“Jared will be a valuable asset in a critical operational area of our cooperative,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power President and Chief Executive Officer. “As United Power continues to navigate our power supply transition, the cooperative requires knowledgeable and capable talent to secure the right resources while keeping costs as low as possible. Jared’s many years of experience in the utility industry will help us to maximize our investments on behalf of United Power members.”

Jared earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSCHE) from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Southern College. Most recently, he served as Director of Energy Supply and Market Modeling for Xcel Energy in Denver. His electric utility work experience includes resource planning, power plant engineering, and power purchase agreement (PPA) origination. 

“United Power’s future is dependent on careful planning and foresight to meet the cooperative’s growing energy needs,” said Jon Aust, Senior Vice President and Chief Energy Resource Officer. “Jared will be an excellent addition to our team as we work to meet the needs of this fast-growing cooperative. He will play an integral role as we continue to build on United Power’s strategy of developing and integrating local resources.

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There has been a lot of talk recently about “saving” certain forms of electric generation, stopping other types, and investing significant resources in technologies that are not ready for prime time. There have also been announcements about building thousands of miles of new transmission line.

When it comes to choices in generation, “all of the above” really needs to be “ALL of the above” if we are going to support electrification across the West and certainly for United Power. 

We recognize that diversity of resources is key to effectively running the cooperative, and we are taking action to ensure a safe, reliable, and affordable electric supply.

United Power partnered with Kindle Energy to open Mountain Peak Power in July. It is the newest and most efficient natural gas plant in Colorado. The 162 MW facility in Weld County provides critical electric capacity and is conveniently located near one of our substations that also has an 11 MW battery energy storage system. This project is a great example of our hyper-localization strategy and highlights the vision we laid out in Our Cooperative Roadmap. The plant was permitted in 10 months and constructed in 10 months. The same project today would take at least four years to obtain the needed equipment at 50% greater cost. 

We are also in the final stages of negotiations for an additional 200 MW of solar, bolstered by 150 MW of battery storage, to replace other expiring thermal generation contracts. These will come online in 2027. The solar facility will be among the largest in Colorado, increasing the carbon-free generation resources in our portfolio to nearly 64% and representing a continued reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since leaving our former wholesale power supplier in May 2024. 

The cooperative pioneered the use of distributed batteries with 115 MW spread across our system at nine substations, ranging in size up to 33 MW. Our engineering team has developed a unique way to automatically manage how we charge and deploy stored energy. These batteries are not only utilized to store energy but also provide critical contingency reserves that save United Power approximately $300,000 per month. 

Recently, United Power joined forces with three other public power utilities — CORE Electric Cooperative, Platte River Power Authority, and Colorado Springs Utilities — to explore creating a regional transmission project, nicknamed Lariat Loop, that will better serve their member-customers. This collaboration aims to reduce electric transmission congestion, enhance system reliability, and expand access to renewable energy sources, all while supporting the State of Colorado’s ambitions carbon reduction goals. 

Our members are directly involved in the “all of the above” electricity strategy. There are nearly 13,000 solar rooftops in our service territory. We will have a new distributed energy resource management system available in January that will allow additional interaction with our members’ resources such as thermostats and electric vehicles. We are rapidly moving to expand our distribution system operations plan, allowing resources from our larger members, such as oil and gas, to be bid into the Southwest Power Pool market coming in April 2026. 

The bottom line is quite simple. While we support expanding transmission and investing in future technologies, and applaud efforts to bring a wide range of generation to the West, we must be realistic about what can be done today to support our growing member base. United Power lives the “all of the above” mantra every day. We buy wind. We buy solar. We buy natural gas. We buy hydropower. And yes, at times we even buy coal. Our focus remains on providing the most reliable and responsible resources we can in our commitment to you, our members.

As always, please feel free to reach out with your questions, comments, or concerns. I enjoy hearing from you and appreciate your continued support.

Brighton, CO – Four of Colorado’s leading public power and distribution cooperative utilities — Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities), CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE), Platte River Power Authority and United Power — are joining forces to explore an innovative transmission solution that will better serve their member-customers. This collaboration aims to reduce electric transmission congestion, enhance system reliability and expand access to renewable energy sources, all while supporting the State of Colorado’s ambitious carbon reduction goals.

Transmission lines are the backbone of the electric grid, carrying power from generation facilities to local utilities and substations. Transmission congestion along Colorado’s Front Range has become a growing challenge that limits flexibility. Together, these four utilities serve more than 1.5 million Coloradans, including some of the state’s fastest-growing communities.

“We expect our growth to continue, so addressing transmission congestion is critical,” said Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO of United Power. “United Power serves an area that is growing quickly, attracting large residential developments and new businesses alike. A more reliable transmission route would help to stabilize costs and increase reliability for current and future members in the cooperative’s service territory.”

A new transmission solution could also benefit the utilities by allowing them to better access generation and share transmission resources, helping to meet Colorado’s clean energy goals.

“We are committed to decarbonizing our portfolio for our four owner communities while supporting our neighbor utilities as we all make this energy transition,” says Jason Frisbie, CEO of Platte River Power Authority. “All options are on the table to help improve reliability and reduce costs, including opportunities to enhance transmission capabilities as we move into an organized market.”

In a complementary move to help manage costs and maintain reliability, Springs Utilities, Platte River Power Authority and United Power will join the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Regional Transmission Organization on April 1, 2026. CORE is also evaluating market participation, including the SPP. 
“What’s great about public power entities is their willingness to collaborate to find the best solutions for their customers. We’re focused on strategies that help manage costs, maintain our industry-leading reliability and reduce carbon emissions. This partnership is a proactive step toward a more resilient energy future for Colorado Springs,” says Travas Deal, Springs Utilities CEO.

“This is a positive first step in exploring alternative ways for our four utilities to support growth and resiliency across our service territories,” stated Pam Feuerstein, CORE CEO. “Additional transmission would enable CORE to continue providing affordable and reliable power to our members, now and into the future.”

The four utilities have agreed to continue to evaluate future transmission options that can best support each utility’s needs while advancing shared goals for reliability, affordability and sustainability. 

About Colorado Springs Utilities

Colorado Springs Utilities is one of the largest community-owned, not-for-profit, four-service utilities in the nation. For more than 100 years, we have provided Colorado Springs with safe, reliable and competitively priced electric, natural gas, water and wastewater services. 

About CORE Electric Cooperative 

CORE is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative providing power to over 180,000 services inside a 5,000-square-mile area along Colorado's Front Range. Its headquarters is in Sedalia, and district offices are in Bennett, Pine Junction, and Woodland Park. Learn more at www.CORE.coop.  

About Platte River Power Authority

Platte River Power Authority (Platte River) is a not-for-profit, community-owned public power generation and transmission utility that provides safe, reliable, environmentally responsible and financially sustainable energy and services to Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, Colorado, for delivery to their distribution utility customers. In addition to providing a public health and safety service to the owner communities, Platte River is working toward a 100% noncarbon energy future through a Resource Diversification Policy approved by its board of directors in 2018. For more information, visit prpa.org.

About United Power

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms, and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The cooperative is one of the fastest-growing electric co-ops in the nation, serving more than 115,000 meters. Its 900-square mile service territory extends from the mountains of Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyon, along the I-25 corridor and Carbon Valley region, to the farmlands of Brighton, Hudson, and Keenesburg. For more information about United Power, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow the cooperative on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.