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Fort Collins approves amended Platte River power‑supply contract; council asks for SPP clarification on ozone impacts
Summary
Fort Collins City Council voted 7-0 to adopt Ordinance No. 18, authorizing an amended and restated power‑supply contract with Platte River Power Authority. Council and public speakers pressed staff for clarification about how the contract and entry into the Southwest Power Pool market could affect local ozone on high‑pollution days.
Fort Collins City Council adopted Ordinance No. 18 on second reading, authorizing an amended and restated contract with Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) for the supply of electric power and energy. The motion passed on a roll call vote recorded as 7-0.
The change updates the community’s long‑term power supply arrangement as PRPA prepares to join the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional market. Council members and public commenters raised questions about how market dispatch in SPP could affect local emissions on high‑ozone days and whether PRPA could be restricted from burning gas for market sales when local air quality is poor.
Barb Krugman Goldman, a District 6 resident who addressed the council during public comment, asked the council to “get definitive answers from the SPP” and said that “if restrictions are allowed, that restrictions on burning the gas should be required.” Council members echoed a desire for clearer technical answers. Council member Olson (last name as recorded in the meeting) asked staff for a follow‑up memo clarifying how market rules and PRPA operations would interact with local ozone concerns.
City staff explained that joining SPP changes how resources are dispatched. Staff said that in the regional market, the next‑increment, marginal resource is called to meet demand and that the market will dispatch resources across a broader footprint, which may include areas with available wind or solar when local wind is low. Staff cautioned that, under tariff rules, individual owners cannot unilaterally choose which days their resources participate in the market because market dispatch is governed by the RTO’s operating rules.
The ordinance was presented and considered by the Electric Utility Enterprise (EUE) board before council action. During the EUE discussion a motion to adopt Ordinance No. 18 was moved and seconded and carried on a recorded roll call.
Council members and speakers said additional technical follow‑up with SPP and PRPA staff was needed to clarify whether exceptions or contractual limitations could be written to limit gas turbine runs on high‑ozone days and what that would mean for reliability and rates.
The vote summary and next steps: the council passed Ordinance No. 18 (authorizing the amended PRPA power supply agreement) 7-0. Council requested that staff seek definitive clarification from SPP and report back to council on whether contractual or market mechanisms could limit turbine dispatch on days when local air quality conditions would be worsened by extra gas generation.
Votes at a glance: Ordinance No. 18 — adopted on second reading, outcome: approved, tally 7-0.
