1. 08/23/2023 - 02:40 PM
    LEGAL NOTICE: United Power Bylaw Proposed Amendment Wednesday | August 23, 2023 The Board of Directors proposes the following amendments to United Power's bylaws. Read more >
  2. 04/29/2019 - 04:25 PM
    Title Lineman Appreciation Day: A Lineman’s Responsibility is Never-Ending /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/MarApr2019_NL_LinemanAppreciation_0.png?itok=0AvCn-jG Thursday | April 18, 2019 Card Teaser Today is National Lineman Appreciation Day, celebrated each year on April 18 to pay homage to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to keep the lights on. Keeping the lights on is a never-ending responsibility. This past month, the United Power service territory was hit hard by the strongest storm in state history resulting in numerous outages and long days for our linemen. The rapid response linemen made to restore power to members affected by strong winds and blinding snow illustrates the danger of their responsibility. Over the course of this past year, United Power members have been no stranger to severe weather. Summer brought us severe thunder storms, including high winds, large hail and lightning, resulting in significant damage to personal property and United Power’s infrastructure, while severe winter weather has contributed to many outages over the past few months. Whether threatening clouds dot the horizon or snow blankets the ground, our linemen are prepared to respond. They’re on call 24 hours a day, regardless of weather. Without our linemen, the electricity we expect and rely on to power our lives wouldn’t be possible. Today is National Lineman Appreciation Day, celebrated each year on April 18 to pay homage to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to keep the lights on. We invite our members to take a moment to thank our United Power linemen for the work they do. Drop a kind note in the mail, through email at unitednewsline@unitedpower.com or thank them on our social media (use the hashtag #ThankALineman) to show your appreciation. If you see them in the field, remember they could be restoring power to you, a family member or your neighbor. Drive attentively and give them plenty of clearance to do their work safely. Linemen are the backbone of United Power. What they do, they do for you. United Power Thank A Lineman 500 Cooperative Way Brighton, CO 80603
  3. 07/29/2019 - 06:00 AM
    Title Lineman Going Back to Guatemala /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/JulyAug2019_NL_Guatemala.jpg?itok=oP6BY7ff Tuesday | July 23, 2019 Card Teaser Kelly Snow has been selected to return later this summer as part of a crew of to provide power to the village of Sillab.  For the second time in as many years, United Power lineman Kelly Snow will represent the cooperative in Guatemala. Snow has been selected to return later this summer as part of a crew of 20 linemen from Colorado and Oklahoma to provide power to yet another isolated jungle village.  This past summer, Snow spent three weeks near Playa Grande setting poles, stringing line and hanging transformers to provide power to residents in two remote jungle villages for the first time.  “It’s really an honor to be invited back,” Snow said. “Most of us have never had to go more than a day without electricity and the benefits it provides. These villages have never had that experience.” Sillab, the village they’ll be energizing in October, is located in the mountainous jungles of north central Guatemala. Sillab is home to approximately 60 households, one elementary school and four churches, none of which have known the benefits of reliable and affordable electricity.  While much of the work will be the same, the terrain presents a new difficulty for Snow and his fellow linemen. Crews will have to overcome harsh conditions in order to string electric line more than six miles to Sillab, including dense jungle foliage, mountainous terrain, frequent rain and high humidity.  Harsh conditions and grueling manual labor contributed to fatigue and dehydration in the relatively flatter areas of Playa Grande.  “You don’t quickly forget the experience of working in the rain and humidity,” Snow said. “But steep inclines add another level of safety we’ll have to prepare for and pay careful attention to during the project.” In Playa Grande, long days seemed longer without access to major equipment, a condition that will also worsen in Sillab.  With a few spare linemen and some light equipment, the utility near Playa Grande was able to provide a little help. The utility and power supplier near Sillab have only one lineman each and no equipment.  “It will be tough, physical labor,” Snow said, “but I’m proud to be a part of it. At the end of the day, if you can be proud of what you did, the pain and the challenge is worth it.” For more than 80 years, electric cooperatives have been helping small, rural communities across the country thrive. It’s one of the seven cooperative principles: concern for community. With the help of NRECA International, cooperatives have been able to take that mission global, providing millions of small communities with the gift of electricity.  “This is why we were founded – bringing power to rural America,” Snow said. “The impact electricity makes on one of these villages is tangible and opens up doors to future possibilities.”
  4. 01/24/2019 - 09:32 AM
    Title Linemen Provide Opportunity to Guatemalan Villages /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Dec2018_NL_Guatemala.png?itok=JuLGbFMN Monday | December 3, 2018 Card Teaser In October, lights went on for the first time in two villages nestled deep in the jungles of northwest Guatemala. In October, lights went on for the first time in two villages nestled deep in the jungles of northwest Guatemala. After weeks of grueling manual labor in adverse conditions far from home, line crews from Oklahoma and Colorado completed work on a project to provide the villages of Pie del Cerro and Tierra Blanca Salinas the gift of electricity.  Between long days caused by the lack of major equipment and staving off dehydration brought on by dense jungle humidity, crews often returned to their rooms late in the evening exhausted – ready to do it again the next day.  “Nothing came easy,” United Power lineman Kelly Snow said. “We had to gut it out each and every day. But even on the worst days, everyone showed up and gave it their all. We came to accomplish something, and we did.” Line crews were stationed in the small city of Playa Grande, located roughly 300 miles from Guatemala City. Each morning, crews loaded into trucks and traversed dirt-packed and often jarring roads to the villages they’d be powering nearly an hour away.   Once there, work had to be completed without the use of specialized tools or mechanical equipment, and vehicles were to be used for transportation only.  Snow, who’s experienced the worst working conditions as a lineman in Colorado’s Front Range, said it’s hard to prepare for the difficulties of working in a third world country. “It’s like stepping back in time,” he said. “We talked to others who were on projects before us and looked at all the photos, but there are still elements of the unknown. It’s hot and humid the whole time; hard to stay hydrated.” Despite the harsh working conditions, crews were able to complete the first half of the project in just over a week – providing power to the first of the two villages – and the whole project on time. “I’m proud to have been a part of this project to provide power to these families and kids,” Snow said. “It gives these kids the chance to continue their studies, and maybe even opens the door for computers or cell phones one day.” Brief reprieves gave Snow and other linemen an opportunity to spend some time building relationships with villagers, playing games with the children and exploring the nearby jungle and lakes.  Above and beyond providing electricity, the crews were also able to gift each household with two-year water filters and each school with a laptop and wheelchair. “The Rural Electric Association was founded on the principal of bringing electricity to rural America,” Snow said just before the project. “It’s an inspiration to be a part of that foundation and spreading it to other countries.”
  5. 05/11/2020 - 11:09 AM
    Title Local Food Banks Receive Member Choice Grants /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/MemberChoice.jpg?itok=xQRicKHr Monday | May 11, 2020 Card Teaser Nominations quickly began arriving, and it was clear members saw an immediate need to provide basic food supplies for their neighbors at this time. United Power introduced its new Member Choice Grants program earlier this year, asking members to nominate a nonprofit organization in its service territory they would like to see the cooperative help support. Within the service territory, several of these organizations exist to provide for the needs of individuals and families and bring value to the communities they serve. These grant nominations allow United Power to provide support for causes and organizations members truly care about. Nominations quickly began arriving, and it was clear members saw an immediate need to provide basic food supplies for their neighbors at this time. United Power is happy to announce the two organizations receiving the first $1,000 Member Choice Grants from the first round of nominations for 2020. Carbon Valley Help Center The Carbon Valley Help Center exists to help with the immediate needs of residents in their area, including food assistance and financial support. The grant will be used to help provide for the needs of its food pantry during the pandemic. Fort Lupton Food & Clothing Bank The mission of the Fort Lupton Food and Clothing Bank is to provide life sustaining food and clothing to people in need in and around the Fort Lupton community. Each year, the organization provides assistance to nearly 9,000 individuals. Nominations are now open for the second round of Member Choice Grants, which will be announced in the next United Newsline. To submit a nomination, fill out a Member Choice Grant application and provide a brief reason why you feel the organization should receive the grant.
  6. 05/30/2018 - 03:30 PM
    Looking for Kids to Help Spread Electrical Safety Messages Wednesday | February 14, 2018 United Power is enlisting the help of local children to create electrical safety posters that will be displayed for National Electrical Safety Month in May. Read more >
  7. 12/02/2025 - 08:47 AM
    Title Maintaining A Standard /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Mountains_Lines_1320x860.jpg?h=45932144&itok=eih0_DWa Wednesday | November 26, 2025 Card Teaser United Power consistently demonstrates excellence in system performance. Reliability Outperforms National Averages Year-Over-Year Members expect consistently reliable power from their electric utility. United Power has maintained a standard of excellence in system performance, delivering results that far exceed the national average year-over-year. The cooperative has continued to meet this standard while it navigated a power supply transition last year and is incorporating new, innovative projects that source and store power locally.  The cooperative’s exit from its wholesale power contract in May of 2024 meant bringing on new contracts from a mix of traditional and sustainable resources into the distribution system. Aside from celebrating United Power’s energy independence, the switch was successfully executed without any power disruptions, ensuring members can count on the cooperative to maintain its standards for reliability and resiliency across the distribution system. United Power has collected 18 months of data since the transition, demonstrating consistent system reliability. Measuring Reliability, By the Numbers Electric utilities use a variety of key performance indicators to measure how effectively and efficiently their systems are operating. The most common indicator is known as the System Average Interruption Duration Index, or SAIDI. United Power also tracks the System Average Interruption Frequency Index, or SAIFI. These indicators are among the many used by utilities to analyze system performance and calculate outage expectations for an average member.  SAIDI is the measurement of cumulative outage time (in minutes) an average member would expect to experience over the course of a year. The national average across all electric utilities was 131 minutes in 2024 and nearly 240 minutes for cooperatives, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). United Power’s SAIDI score has stayed below 80 minutes each of the past three years and is just above 60 minutes through September of this year. SAIFI measures the total number of outages an average member would expect to experience over the course of a year (frequency of outages experienced). United Power’s score of 0.90 in 2024 means the average meter experienced fewer than one outage throughout the year, again exceeding the national average across all electric utilities (1.07) and other cooperatives (1.61), per the EIA. Put another way, most United Power members were unlikely to experience more than one outage last year, and many did not experience an outage at all.  Another performance indicator used by utilities measures the system’s overall availability rate. The co-op’s three-year availability rate was between 98.8% and 99.9%.  “Our system’s performance is due to the great effort of our engineering and operations teams,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and CEO. “They are responsible for reviewing and interpreting data and developing strategies to improve the system. We are setting the standard for other utilities while meeting our members’ expectations.” Building a Better System United Power’s approach to maximizing system performance utilizes a comprehensive combination of design practices, proactive maintenance projects, and extensive integration of automated and smart field devices.  Outages are an intrinsic reality for electric utilities. United Power can mitigate them, but cannot guarantee they will not happen. Mitigation begins with building the system so that outages are recognized earlier, impact fewer members, and are restored quickly — and more importantly, safely. The cooperative designs the system with these steps in mind.  One of the ways this is accomplished is known as a “redundancy.” This essentially means that power can be rerouted from an alternate source to restore members during an outage while crews are investigating the cause or working on repairs. Most members are on a redundant system, which is part of why United Power’s average restoration times are also among the best in the country.  Another design strategy is “sectionalizing.” This means that when a fault results in an outage, depending on where it is located down the line, it may affect fewer members. Devices are installed in sections throughout the distribution system to limit outage impact.  United Power also deploys automated devices that collect system data. That information can help locate and clear faults to minimize outages and reduce restoration times or identify infrastructure that is not performing optimally and needs to be repaired. This data has been helpful in the cooperative’s maintenance plan, which proactively targets the worst-performing sections of the system to improve reliability and increase resiliency.  United Power outperforms other electric utilities across the various metrics used to evaluate system performance, but the cooperative regularly reviews emerging strategies and innovative technologies that can further improve reliability. Delivering safe and reliable power is the co-op’s core responsibility to members. You can be sure it is not taken lightly.
  8. 03/05/2026 - 12:56 PM
    Title March Message from Mark A. Gabriel /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Mountains_Lines_1320x860.jpg?h=45932144&itok=eih0_DWa Thursday | March 5, 2026 Card Teaser A message to United Power members from the cooperative's President & Chief Executive Officer. The Roman poet Virgil famously wrote, “time flies, never to be recalled.” But I am not so sure. We can look back and see the road United Power has traveled, even before my arrival five years ago. When I joined the cooperative in March of 2021, it was a very different time in many ways. Society was in the throes of a global pandemic and the economy was stalled due to uncertainty. And yet, the co-op was seeing some of the same conditions present today — continued growth in members and load, more variety in generation, more residential solar on homes, more electric vehicles on the roads, and the need for highly reliable electric service. The need for electricity was never greater than when we were all working from home instead of the office. United Power, a summer peaking utility, hit a peak of 520 megawatts (MW) in 2021 and a winter peak just below 400 MW. Last July, we set a peak of 680 MW. Even a warm winter day can now exceed 420 MW.  Our business model has also changed drastically. We had a single power supplier, and indirectly a single transmission provider, before our wholesale power supply contract exit in May 2024. Now we have 27 different power suppliers and three transmission providers. And critically, as required by Colorado law, we have dramatically reduced our carbon output with a blend of hydropower, renewable energy, battery storage, and natural gas. The number of members we serve is increasing, too. We had not yet hit 100,000 meters when I joined the cooperative, but as of this January we now have more than 117,000. United Power is serving a variety of residential, commercial, and industrial members, as well as oil and gas sites, all of which are growing in number and load. We are looking forward to BNSF Railway and Bandimere Speedway moving into our territory and, like many cooperatives across the country, are preparing for the coming of data centers. We have also added millions of square feet of warehousing and other industrial infrastructure. United Power is not growing in a vacuum. The rules under which we operate are changing. Discussions about bringing a regional transmission organization (RTO), commonly referred to as a market, to Colorado began in 2021. Now, this has become a reality. The cooperative will join the market in April. Participation in the RTO will not only help the 350,000 people we serve, but will also help nearly 2 million Coloradoans meet the state’s growing energy needs. It is critical that the legislation requiring all utilities to participate in the market by 2030 is enforced so that all residents receive the benefits.  We have moved forward with creative and valuable technologies in the last five years, and we are acting on the vision outlined in Our Cooperative Roadmap, now on version 2.0. United Power is a leader in distributed battery storage and opened Mountain Peak Power, a new natural gas plant in Keenesburg, in a record 20 months. We added a new outage management system and are preparing to deploy a new distributed energy resource management system that is a key pillar to making our distribution system operator vision a reality. These advances are built on a foundation the cooperative has established over its 87-year history of pioneering innovation and never being afraid to push the organization to new heights — advancing its supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system in the late 1980s, energizing the state’s first community solar project in 2009, becoming an early adopter of advanced meters in 2012, and connecting its first battery storage system in 2018. The Power of Local is at the heart of our actions here at United Power as we localize power options, system controls, and work with our communities. I am proud of the team I lead at United Power. They have made these accomplishments and many others possible with the support of your tremendous Board of Directors, that has not shied away from the challenge of positioning United Power for today and the future. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments. 
  9. 03/05/2025 - 02:01 PM
    March Message from Mark A. Gabriel Wednesday | March 5, 2025 A message to United Power members from the cooperative's President & Chief Executive Officer. Read more >
  10. 02/29/2024 - 10:14 AM
    Title March Message from Mark A. Gabriel /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/CEO_Message.jpg?h=45932144&itok=pNegmSzP Thursday | February 29, 2024 Card Teaser A message to United Power members from the cooperative's President & Chief Executive Officer. I have spent much of my 30+ year career in the utility industry. Through the years, people have often asked me what the “best” business model is to provide electricity. There are basically three choices: investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and cooperatives like United Power. I try to reflect on the various pluses and minuses of each business model when answering the question, but always come back to the same conclusion — cooperatives are the closest to their member-owners, focus clearly on the communities being served, and can make changes quickly as technology transforms the energy enterprise. Commitment to our member-owners is deeply embedded in the cooperative mindset. Our employees work diligently each day to meet the needs of United Power members, while also anticipating future needs. This is why we have been able to handle the tremendous growth in our service territory across all the sectors we are proud to serve: residential, small commercial, and large commercial/industrial. Our attitude and culture is to meet needs when and where they arise, based on the members’ time frame. Members have an active voice in the utility’s future direction through the annual Director Election. The dedicated women and men on United Power’s Board of Directors spend many hours alongside management preparing for what is to come. This is particularly important with the rapidly changing environment we find ourselves in today. The Board had the foresight to pilot the largest battery storage facility in the West in 2018. It provided understanding and experience in operating battery storage systems, and paved the way for the cooperative to add another 115 megawatts of battery storage to our system this spring and summer. This battery deployment ensures reliability and allows us to manage the system locally. We will be one of the first utilities in the nation to energize utility-scale batteries at our substations. Moving quickly and taking advantage of innovative technologies is a hallmark of the cooperative world, and certainly at United Power. Our theme for this year — United Power’s 85th anniversary — is Here for Good. This captures our belief in building a reliable and resilient distribution system and our enduring presence in the communities we serve. United Power fosters local relationships and partners on economic development to support community growth. The cooperative also partners with members who want to give back to those less fortunate through Operation Round Up. More than 25,000 of you participate in the program, which has distributed more than $3 million since 1995. This is why the cooperative business model is so strong — the proximity to the people we serve as “members” and not just “customers.” As a member, you are also an owner with a vested economic interest in United Power. A part of every monthly statement is an investment in your utility — a key difference in the three business models. Every year, the Board of Directors evaluates our financial condition and determines if we can return margins to members. In the last five years alone, we have returned more than $25 million to members. This only happens in the cooperative world (unless you own stock in an investor-owned utility, of course). Electric cooperatives are based on seven principles: open and voluntary membership; democratic member control; members economic participation; autonomy and independence; education, training, and information; cooperation among cooperatives; and concern for community. We take these principle to heart in everything we do at United Power. My third anniversary at the helm of United Power is March 15. I am thankful every day to live and work in a community powered by an electric cooperative, and to work with the amazing women and men of this utility. As always, please feel free to reach out with your questions, comments, or concerns. I enjoy hearing from our members and appreciate your continued support.
  11. 03/01/2022 - 03:31 PM
    Title March/April Message from Mark A. Gabriel /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/CEO_Message.jpg?h=45932144&itok=pNegmSzP Tuesday | March 1, 2022 Card Teaser A message to United Power members from the cooperative's President & Chief Executive Officer. Looking ahead while focusing on the present is a challenge in today’s electric power industry. Whether it is changing regulations; the desire of more members to engage with us as their electric cooperative in new ways; the advancement of technologies; or simply the expectations of high quality, always on, reliable power, being prepared is key. Thanks to the hard work of staff at United Power, supported by our Board of Directors, we have created “Our Cooperative Roadmap,” or Roadmap, to document both where we are today and how we are looking toward the future. The Roadmap has four Guiding Principles: Reliability, Affordability, Flexibility, and Responsibility. Each of these principles embodies the elements most critical to us as we seek to prepare for the future while building and maintaining the important investments we have made on behalf of our members over the decades. These are the lenses through which we evaluate options such as reimagining our power supply, integrating new technologies, preparing for future markets, and supporting the needs of the workforce. Reliability Strive to deliver high-quality, uninterrupted service to our members through the design, operation, protection, and maintenance of a failure-resistant and resilient electric distribution system. Affordability Continually seek fair and equitable wholesale rates, manage distribution costs in a highly efficient manner, and responsibly allocate those costs across our membership with stable and transparent rate options. Flexibility Demonstrate maximum agility and adaptiveness through forward-looking plans; versatile, innovative programs and business models; and diverse power supply options as we respond to changes in our environment and the needs of our members and community. Responsibility Act honestly, ethically, sustainably, and in the best interest of our members and communities as we manage operations and secure resources. The Roadmap defines the working plan priorities for your cooperative and aligns the work of employees at United Power. The document will ensure continuity in our thinking and guide us as we make important resource decisions.  The Roadmap also keeps us looking at the immediate opportunities and challenges we face. The criticality of electricity has never been more evident as a growing number of our members work from home. The advances of technology require high quality, reliable power. And, as our communities grow, so too do the demands for more power. A good example in planning ahead and working for today lies in the investments your cooperative made in our fire mitigation plan. Several years ago, we began switching to covered cable in the mountains, undergrounded critical lines, and moved to an advanced breaker. While no plan can perfectly protect us from the unpredictability of wildfires, we were ready to respond during the recent events here in Colorado. Fortunately, our system was not impacted. The same is true as we ready our technologies to accept more distributed energy resources, storage, and solar on our system while preparing for the advent of a power market here in the west. We encourage members to read Our Cooperative Roadmap and engage in future discussions about it. The senior team and I welcome the opportunity to come and speak to community groups and will be posting several videos online that cover the Roadmap’s key elements.  Our Cooperative Roadmap covers a wide range of areas – all designed with you, our member, in mind. Importantly, it helps define the cooperative’s future and keeps us on track today. As always, I welcome your comments, questions, and feedback on any topic, including the Roadmap. Please contact me here.    
  12. 12/06/2022 - 11:21 AM
    Title Mark A. Gabriel Announced as New GridWise Alliance Board Member /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Grid_Layout.jpg?itok=QANx6rRH Tuesday | December 6, 2022 Card Teaser The GridWise Alliance announced nine new members to its Board of Directors, all strongly committed to advancing the organization's mission to articulate the benefits of grid modernization.   Washington D.C. - The GridWise Alliance announced nine new members to its Board of Directors today, all of whom are strongly committed to advancing the organization's mission to articulate the benefits of grid modernization.   “The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act are further evidence of the increasing rate of change in the industry. GridWise Alliance and other organizations in the field will play a critical role, and bringing in leaders with fresh perspectives is critical,” said Gil Quiniones, CEO, ComEd and Chair of the GridWise Alliance. “Our new board members bring this type of innovative thinking and leadership to the Board of Directors and continue to ensure that it is at the forefront of our country’s energy transformation.”  The new GridWise Alliance Board members who will begin two-year terms, include:  
    1. Astrid Atkinson, CEO and Co-Founder, Camus Energy 
    2. Michelle Blaise, Senior Vice President Engineering and Project Management, ComEd 
    3. Russell Boyer, Global Energy Field Director, Dell Technologies 
    4. Michelle Fay, Partner, Guidehouse
    5. Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO, United Power 
    6. Hanna Grene, Worldwide Power and Utilities Leader, Microsoft 
    7. Wade Lauer, Senior Vice President Transmission, North America, Siemens Energy Inc. 
    8. Deepa Poduval, Global Advisory Lead, Senior Vice President, Black & Veatch 
    9. Jeannie Salo, Vice President, Government Relations, Schneider Electric 
    “I am excited to work with the new Directors over the next two years, which will see historic investments in grid modernization in the U.S.,” said Karen Wayland, CEO of the GridWise Alliance. “The GridWise Board of Directors is a group of industry leaders who will help shape the trajectory of grid modernization across the country to enhance reliability, resilience, decarbonization and energy equity.”   The nine incoming Board members will join a group of 16 other Board Directors representing all areas of the electric grid industry. The full list of GridWise Board of Directors is easily accessible on the GridWise website.  About GridWise Alliance:  The GridWise Alliance leads a diverse membership of electricity industry stakeholders focused on accelerating innovation that delivers a more secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid to support decarbonization of the U.S. economy. For more information about the GridWise Alliance, visit: www.gridwise.org.