Full Title: Colorado Transmission Coordination Act: Investigation of Wholesale Market Alternatives for the State of Colorado
Author(s): Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Publisher(s): Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Publication Date: December 1, 2021
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Description (excerpt):
This study, conducted by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (Commission or PUC) as part of the Colorado Transmission Coordination Act (CTCA), finds that enhanced market participation through greater regional coordination can reduce total annual costs for Colorado electric utilities by as much as 4 to 5 percent, while helping to accelerate the achievement of our state’s clean energy goals. At the same time, this investigation also identifies significant concerns with shifting core aspects of electric utility regulation (involving new generator interconnection, transmission expansion, and resource adequacy) from state control to regional processes due to significant governance issues. The determination that it is in the public interest to transfer functional control of Colorado’s electric utility transmission assets to a broader regional process would require consideration of those governance issues and certain other concerns in the context of a specific market opportunity. In the meantime, Colorado’s electric utilities should actively explore alternative market opportunities to deliver the benefits of enhanced regional coordination while limiting the concerns identified in this study.