Colorado electric company contracts to build $196 million solar project
22 March, 2024WESTMINSTER, CO — A Denver metro-area electricity wholesaler that supplies utilities across the region has contracted to build a $195.6 million solar power project it plans to own in northwest Colorado.
Westminster-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc. on Thursday filed regulatory notice that it has contracted with JSI Construction Group to design and build a 145-megawatt solar farm and expects construction to start before summer.
“The project is expected to begin commercial delivery of power and be placed in service by Dec. 31, 2025,” according to Tri-State’s filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 21.
The solar plant is being built in Moffat County, home to the 1,285-megawatt Craig Generating Station, a trio of coal-burning power plants. Tri-State is the operator and majority owner of the station and has announced plans to shut down one of the plants next year and the other two in 2028.
If the new solar power plant isn’t delivering its electricity by the end of 2025, JSI Construction could owe Tri-State some money under the contract terms agreed to, Tri-State said.