Power lines running through mountain landscape

The cooperative difference

More than a promise

Reliable and affordable power. That's our first priority and the driving force behind everything we do.

With the support of our 40 members, Tri-State has continuously met this commitment and remained a high-performing, agile cooperative power supplier across the Western states we proudly serve. Our value is further strengthened by investing in our members, employees, consumers, and communities beyond the grid.

We empower members to make new investments and encourage an all-of-the-above resource approach to drive rural economic development.
Energy Investments
We keep our communities and employees safe as we uphold a culture of safety in the field, at the office, and at home. We protect the environment in the states we serve because it provides us with the abundant natural resources that power our communities.
Preserve & Protect
We are good neighbors to the rural communities we serve, giving back and supporting our local economies.
Good Neighbors
We're all in this together, working closely with our cooperative members to reach our energy goals and ensure affordability and reliability for our consumers.
Shared Success

Principles we live by

These investments would not be successful without the collaborative efforts of our members, who operate according to the 7 Cooperative Principles:

1
Open and voluntary membership
2
Democratic member control
3
Members' economic participation
4
Autonomy and independence
5
Education, training and information
6
Cooperation among cooperatives
7
Concern for community

Together, we are driving collective impact. That's the cooperative difference.

Solar panels close up at dusk

Energy Investments

New ERA, Electric Resource Plan

An all-of-the-above approach to meet today's energy needs

New ERA

Tri-State was recently awarded $2.5 billion in financing through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program. This program is the most significant federal funding for rural electric cooperatives since 1936 and will help to further our investments to meet growing energy demand and improve the reliability and resiliency of our system.

The program, designed to help rural cooperatives implement reliable and affordable energy transitions, will support the building of new energy projects as well as the retirement of outdated sites. These projects will fight high energy costs and help our members reach 70% clean energy used in 2030, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 5.8 million tons annually.

Electric Resource Planning

Our Electric Resource Plan (ERP) is central to our work to serve our members and meet our regulatory requirements as we pursue various energy investments. The process includes engagement and collaboration with our members and numerous stakeholders to ensure reliable, affordable, and responsible power for our members.

Following regulatory approval of our Phase I ERP from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, we've now initiated Phase II, beginning with the procurement process for new resources that will lead to over an 80% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado and 70% clean energy used by our members systemwide by 2030. Phase II also includes landmark direct financial assistance to the communities of Craig and Moffat County impacted by coal plant closures to help ensure their economic viability.

Visit our ERP page
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Heavy machinery creating fire breaks in the forest

Preserve and Protect

Wildfire Mitigation, Workplace Safety

Ensuring 'safety first' across our Western service territory

Wildfire Mitigation

High temperatures and dry conditions across our service area makes the region susceptible to wildfires. To protect the people and ecosystems we serve and provide reliable energy, Tri-State has developed an approach that focuses on situational awareness. We're using tools like drones and weather monitoring to analyze risk reduction and are in constant communication with land managers, fire districts and other utilities to properly assess and manage risk. The data we collect allows us to better understand the breadth of challenges posed by wildfires and we're working hard to reduce risk through an average of 3,500 man-hours per year in vegetation management and clearing.

To complement our regional efforts, our staff regularly coordinates with federal agencies. We are also uniquely positioned to have ongoing wildfire mitigation conversations with relevant agencies and industry partners through the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) Wildfire Working Group.

View Wildfire Mitigation Plan

Workplace Safety

Safety is our core value, and we put the safety of our employees, contractors and communities above all else. We are committed to shaping a culture of safety, where every worker is encouraged to share safety tips, close calls, stories and knowledge in and out of meetings to improve our collective well-being. We believe that safety is built through relationships and encourage our employees to take care of one another and maintain good communication.

We reinforce our commitment to safety in ways big and small, including providing personal protective equipment, access to continuing safety education, trainings and certifications, and encouraging a standard of incident reporting to improve our safety. Tri-State recognizes that some jobs at our electric cooperative come with more risk than others, which is why we recognize those in high-risk roles and provide hazard rate pay. Tri-State's leaders set the safety example and field-trained safety personnel are on site at all times with employees. This year alone, two coal sites in Colorado reached 12 and 13 years respectively without having a serious injury, and three employees received awards from the Colorado Mining Association for 30 years without injury.

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Homes under construction

Good Neighbors

Community Engagement/Charitable Giving, Consumer Programs

Giving back to the communities we serve beyond the grid

Community Engagement/Charitable Giving

Tri-State is committed to giving back to the rural communities in which we operate, supporting community organizations and charities like 4-H, Cooperative Family Fund, Future Farmers of America, and other rural-focused groups across Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. We also encourage our employees to give back. In 2024, Tri-State employees volunteered in their communities for a total of 456 hours. Employees have the flexibility to choose which organizations they would like to support, allowing them to participate in the causes they find most impactful to their communities.

Tri-State has also supported our employee efforts by matching employee donations to non-profit organizations of their choosing. Most recently, employees and Tri-State donated over $246,000 to 73 chosen charities, bettering communities across the Western states.

Consumer Programs

Tri-State's commitment to affordability extends beyond the grid. Our On-Bill Repayment program aims to make energy efficiency and electrification updates more accessible for everyone by working with our members to offer consumers financing for home efficiency upgrades that require no money down, no credit check, and can be paid back over time through monthly electricity bills. The program offers low interest rates that won't exceed more than 5% of the original fee. Tri-State members and consumers also have access to an energy efficient ecosystem that includes rebates, financing, equipment, education, and trustworthy contractors who help to complete efficiency upgrades, with the goal of reducing emissions and consumer energy costs.

Efficiency Programs
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Large meeting room at Tri-State's headquarters in Westminster, Colorado

Shared Success

Cooperative Governance, Flexibility/BYOR

Achieving affordability and reliability through the cooperative business model

Cooperative Governance

Tri-State's cooperative model and member-led governance structure differentiates us from other, for-profit corporate utilities. We're proud to say that our 43 member-owners and board of representatives, appointed by 40 distribution utility members, have a seat at the table. The Board determines business decisions, sets priorities, makes policy decisions, and guides strategic planning for Tri-State initiatives, offering each utility member the opportunity to bring their unique voices to the forefront. Tri-State truly operates by the people and for the people, bringing transparency to our governance and giving everyone a platform to make their voices heard.

Flexibility/BYOR

Our Bring Your Own Resource program provides flexibility to Tri-State members by allowing them to develop their own projects that reflect the unique advantages and needs in their service area and keep consumer costs low. Recently accepted by federal regulators, projects are independently evaluated to meet reliability, economic, and environmental criteria. We expect that many future projects in the program will use renewable energy sources, continuing our commitment to achieving 50% renewable energy used by members in 2025 and rising to 70% in 2030.

Our Energy Mix
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