Many customers understand that City of Loveland Utilities maintains the local distribution lines that bring electricity throughout our service area to power homes and businesses, but not everyone knows the partnership behind how that energy reaches Loveland. The power our community receives is generated and transmitted by Platte River Power Authority (Platte River), our longtime wholesale provider.

Platte River was formed more than 50 years ago by Loveland, Estes Park, Fort Collins and Longmont. All four communities co-own the organization and help shape its direction. City of Loveland Utilities Director Sharon Israel serves as the current vice chair of the board and helps represent our community’s priorities.

Because Platte River is not-for-profit and owned by the communities it serves, decisions are made with long-term reliability, environmental responsibility and affordability in mind. Together, we have increased renewable energy generation and reduced emissions while keeping electricity dependable and cost effective.

Building a smarter, stronger regional grid

Platte River took the next step in meeting the goals of its Resource Diversification Policy by joining the Southwest Power Pool’s Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) on April 1. This move will help Loveland and our partner cities meet growing energy needs, improve access to renewable resources, improve reliability and reduce overall system costs by connecting our power system to a larger regional network.

An RTO is a collaboration among utilities that work together to share electricity across a wide geographic area. Instead of each utility operating on its own, the RTO coordinates resources, weather patterns and demand cycles across the region to manage a large wholesale market that optimizes regional assets. With access to more resources, participating utilities can choose the best fit, lowest cost electricity available at any given time while balancing supply and demand more efficiently.

RTO upgrade supports advanced planning

Platte River already participates in the Southwest Power Pool’s Western Energy Imbalance Services (WEIS), a real-time energy program that allows utilities to exchange power every five minutes. It can sell excess renewable energy when market prices are favorable and buy energy when it is less expensive than generating it locally. This helps keep wholesale rates stable for the four owner communities.

Joining the RTO gives Platte River access to an additional wholesale energy market that opens 24 hours earlier than what is available in the current real-time WEIS program. This larger planning window improves reliability, reduces unnecessary fuel use and expands opportunities for renewable energy. When the sun is setting in one area or the wind slows in another, the RTO can draw from resources across the region to keep electricity balanced and reliable.

What this means for Loveland

Joining an RTO requires years of preparation. Participants must show they have enough power supply to meet customer needs in all weather conditions, along with the staffing and systems in place to participate in daily operations. Platte River has met these requirements and is ready for this next phase.

For Loveland customers, the transition supports a reliable and forward-looking energy future. Connecting to a broader network of resources helps utilities integrate more renewable power, lower overall operating costs and improve coordination while reducing emissions across the region. As part of the RTO, Platte River and its owner communities continue moving toward their mutual long-term goal of a cleaner, more efficient system while providing the reliable power our communities depend on every day.