CORE Electric plans to buy its own power; cooperative raises idea of public-safety shutoffs to reduce wildfire risk

Ron Kilgore, director at CORE Electric Cooperative, told the Conifer Area Council town hall the cooperative is preparing to "start buying our own power" beginning about one year from Jan. 1 — a shift he called "Freedom Day" after nearly three decades of relying on Xcel Energy. Kilgore said the move gives the cooperative more local control over generation source and pricing.

Kilgore also raised a safety measure some utilities now use known in the presentation as VSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff): temporarily de-energizing lines on high-risk "red flag" days to reduce wildfire ignitions from electrical infrastructure. "The fancy term is VSPS," he said, adding that CORE has never turned power off preemptively but is evaluating criteria, communication plans and the operational steps that would be required.

Kilgore emphasized trade-offs. "Nobody likes their power to go off," he said, and noted that crews must inspect lines on foot in rugged terrain before re-energizing circuits. CORE already spends about $6,000,000 each year in the Conifer area on vegetation management and tree trimming, he said, and is using more undergrounding in new developments to reduce exposure.

Kilgore described operational adjustments the cooperative uses on forecasted high-fire-risk days — making protection settings "much more sensitive" so the system can shut off quickly — and said the cooperative will hold a December meeting to gather community feedback about any PSPS approach. He invited attendees to speak with CORE staff after the presentations.

Next steps: CORE is holding community outreach in December to discuss criteria and communications; no formal PSPS policy was adopted at the town hall and Kilgore said the cooperative is still evaluating options.