On Monday, March 25, La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) made the historic decision to exit its contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. This move will give LPEA the freedom to secure more affordable and renewable energy that benefits our local economy.  

LPEA’s contract with Tri-State required the co-op to buy 95% of its power from Tri-State, limiting local generation to just 5%. On top of that, Tri-State doubled down on its coal investments in the past years, leading to financial hardships and a negative credit rating for the G&T. This year, Tri-State raised rates for all its member co-ops, forcing LPEA to do a pass-through rate increase for its members. In the past several years, several co-ops have left their Tri-State seeking freedom from its expensive power. LPEA can now follow in those footsteps and secure a more flexible and affordable power supply.  

This exit could not have been done without the strong leadership of the board and the hard work of LPEA’s staff. We hope you join us in thanking LPEA for taking this monumental step towards securing a better energy future for its members!