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WEEK OF OCTOBER 12, 2023
VOLUME 96 | ISSUE 45
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More Colorado energy co-ops line up to leave Xcel BY MARK JAFFE THE COLORADO SUN
atmosphere surrounds them,” Amy Hollaman, regional manager, said. Hollaman said there are over 5,000 real and foam pumpkins that have been hand carved for the event. Hollaman said the staff comes up with the various themes throughout the show. “You have your typical Halloween theme with bats and witches and
United Power CEO Mark Gabriel has a countdown clock on his desk ticking off the time until his electric cooperative leaves the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association on May 1, 2024. Brighton-based United Power, however, isn’t the only Colorado coop counting days. Seven other rural electrical cooperatives have left, are looking to leave, or renegotiate contracts with their traditional power suppliers — TriState and Xcel Energy — enabling them to venture into a wholesale market filled with merchant power suppliers and brokers. “The energy transition is now providing lower-cost, local and cleaner power solutions that offer a number of advantages to co-ops,” said Seth Feaster, an analyst with the nonprofit Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. “It allows co-ops to forge their own energy independence.” Traditionally, rural cooperatives bought their electricity from generation and transmission associations, created to serve the co-ops, or an investor-owned utility, like Xcel Energy. Those purchases account for 60% to 70% of the cooperatives’ budgets. “I think that the old world is just fading away,” Gabriel said, undermined by cheap wind and solar electricity and technological innovations, such as battery storage. “Those companies that don’t march with time, end up just relics on the side of the road.” United Power is striking deals with multiple suppliers for power and storage. “It’s important to recognize we really will have a much more balanced portfolio than our current power supplier offers us,” Gabriel said.
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Several pumpkins sit carved with colorful faces at the Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns event in Littleton on Sept. 22. PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
From the Hogwarts Express to a giant pirate ship and dinosaurs roaming the lands, residents kicked off the spooky season at the opening night of the Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns. Hosted by 13th Floor Entertainment Group, the event was held on Sept. 22 at Hudson Gardens in Littleton.
The annual event features various displays including beloved Disney characters and favorite celebrities all entirely made out of carved pumpkins. “Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns is an all ages event that takes place during the Halloween season where guests walk down a trail surrounded by thousands of beautifully carved pumpkins, high tech lighting displays, music and just a fall
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