United Power is pleased to announce the hiring of Susan Aldridge as the cooperative’s Director of Government Relations and Deputy General Counsel.

“Given her extensive background in land development and energy concerns, Susan will be a strong addition to our team,” stated Robin Z. Meidhof, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. “She brings a unique blend of experience and legal expertise that will help us as we work with our legislators locally and nationally to address key issues impacting United Power’s efforts to hyper-localize and meet the state’s clean energy mandates while ensuring we can serve our members reliable energy at affordable rates.”

Aldridge holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor and Masters in Public Administration from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Minnesota. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for a local reclamation/construction company whose primary customers are oil and gas, solar, and various land development businesses. Her work history includes both private practice and in-house counsel roles in addition to handling regulatory and external affairs in the oil and gas industry, focusing on land use regulation, local government permitting, compliance, stakeholder relations, and social investment. She is an avid champion of children, serving as a board member for the Two Angels Foundation, whose mission is increasing recreational opportunities for children with physical disabilities and served several years on the board of Tennyson Center for Children.

“United Power has built a leadership team that complements the goals of the cooperative,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power CEO and President. “Our focus on what our members need is paramount, and listening to our local leaders and community partners is key to the cooperative’s continued success. Susan is a talented addition to our team and will help strengthen our advocacy efforts at the statehouse and beyond.”

Funds will facilitate significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

United Power is pleased to announce that it is a finalist for the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service. The New ERA investment will be used to offset the cost of United Power’s transition to a strategic portfolio of clean energy that includes power purchase agreements that will provide more than 760 megawatts of renewable resources to its members by 2030. 

Last fall, cooperatives across the nation submitted hundreds of proposals for a portion of the $9.7 billion in New ERA Program funds earmarked for projects that reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the cooperatives’ voluntary transformation of rural electric systems in a way that promotes resiliency and reliability of rural electric systems and affordability for their members. 

“We are honored to be named a finalist for such a historic grant from the USDA,” said Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO of United Power. “The New ERA Program represents the first significant funding opportunity of this generation. It will help finance the energy sector’s move to a future with cleaner power generation resources. The timing of this grant award offers an ideal opportunity for United Power and our members, as we continue our transition to an independent electric distribution cooperative, which began May 1 when we exited our former wholesale power provider.”

United Power left its long-standing wholesale power contract in May in order to create a cleaner, more flexible power portfolio for cooperative members. Utilizing multiple power purchase agreements, the cooperative curated a portfolio of solar, hydropower, and wind generation projects estimated to reduce GHG emissions by 2.1 million tons annually. Seven of the cooperative’s projects were submitted for consideration by the USDA with a request for grant funding that will offset 25% of the cost of these power purchase agreements for zero-emissions and renewable energy resources. 

“These funds are the perfect complement to the strategies United Power adopted to advance our clean energy journey,” said Gabriel. “Earlier this year, we deployed multiple battery energy storage systems on the United Power distribution grid, allowing us to provide redundancy on our system while stabilizing power costs. Adding more renewable energy resources to our mix will continue to build on this pioneering vision.”

United Power, which serves more than 112,000 meters on Colorado’s northern front range, sought more flexibility in its power supply mix and an ability to work more closely with local members interested in generating their own power. The cooperative is already an industry leader for its significant penetration of rooftop solar – approximately 12,000 United Power members have adopted this technology. The cooperative is also an active advocate for hyper-localized generation resources necessary for its transition to the distribution system operator model. 

Colorado’s climate action plan is also driving change statewide, challenging numerous sectors to aggressively tackle GHG emissions. The state is calling for utilities, like United Power, to submit clean energy plans that demonstrate a reduction in GHG emissions by 80% from 2005 levels and end the reliance on coal-fired power generation by 2030. 

“United Power is not the typical electric distribution cooperative,” said Ursula J. Morgan, United Power Board Chair. “Our service territory is experiencing incredible growth, new businesses are looking for ways to partner with us to provide cleaner power, and our local governance structure allows us to be nimble and responsive to meet our members’ needs. Cooperatives transformed the way of life in rural America when they stretched power lines across the country nearly 100 years ago, and today we are transforming our power supply by implementing the decarbonization efforts as laid out in Our Cooperative Roadmap. The New ERA investment will have an immediate positive impact on these efforts while helping to stabilize rates in future years for all United Power members.”

Brighton, CO – United Power, Inc. is partnering with Kindle Energy LLC (Kindle) to add 162 megawatts (MW) of peaking natural gas capacity on its system in Keenesburg, CO. As the state of Colorado transitions away from coal-fired energy production, this project will provide United Power greater flexibility when power costs are at their highest and ensure reliability and resource adequacy in times of low renewable energy production and extreme weather conditions.

“The integration of this peaking natural gas unit is key to our ongoing energy transition,” said Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO of United Power. “To remain responsive to our members’ needs as we move away from a single wholesale power supplier, this project will provide the necessary flexibility we need on our system. It is just one more tool in our toolbox that will help us better meet the varied needs of our members and provide more predictable costs in the future.”

The natural gas units will be installed at the Mountain Peak Power plant in Keenesburg, which is adjacent to United Power’s Tesla Substation. The proximity of a natural gas pipeline to the substation property was key to making this installation an economical one for the cooperative, and a quicker construction project for Kindle Energy. Additionally, the unit is considered “hydrogen-ready,” which means it is also designed to run on fuels with hydrogen content once commercially viable, increasing the unit’s versatility. When in operation, which is planned for June 2025, Mountain Peak Power is expected to deliver up to 162 MW, to support the ongoing energy transition in the state. 

Lee Davis, CEO of Kindle Energy, said, “Kindle is excited to partner with United Power on the Mountain Peak Power project, supporting their transition to cleaner energy sources. The Mountain Peak Power project is important to Kindle because it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bring strong solutions with flexible, reliable generation to support the ongoing transition to a greener energy portfolio.”

United Power transitioned away from a single wholesale power supplier in May of this year, with a vision to create a more flexible power delivery system that would provide cooperative members with predictable costs and allow for the integration of various local energy sources. In addition to this peaking unit, the cooperative has invested in batteries at eight substations throughout the service territory to help balance load during high use periods and to provide critical back up generation.

“We appreciate how quickly Kindle is able to make this installation a reality,” said Gabriel. “Thanks go out to all our working partners at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and leaders in Weld County for their coordination and foresight.” 

To learn more about United Power’s energy transition and our varied sources of power, 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 112,000 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. United Power is also a founding member of the NextGen Cooperative Alliance, which is dedicated to expanding the power supply and procurement options available to distribution co-ops and reforming the traditional generation and transmission business model. For more information about United Power, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow the cooperative on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

About Kindle Energy

Kindle Energy is a power generation development and asset management firm based in Princeton, NJ.  With over 11GW currently under management, Kindle Energy offers customized approaches to investing in, operating, and managing power generation assets in North America. Supporting Utilities, Co-Ops, Municipals and other energy facility owners, Kindle Energy is focused on providing creative solutions to the complex energy issues of today to allow customers to focus on their core business.

Please visit https://kindle-energy.com/ to see more details.

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