Tri-State members advance greater contract flexibility, starting by increasing member self-generation opportunities by an additional 10% of system demand

• Board of directors announces commitment to increase self-supply flexibility, a key component of cooperative’s Responsible Energy Plan.
• Partial requirements options for members include participating in self-supply of up to 300 megawatts of Tri-State system-wide demand, in addition to members’ current options to self-supply 5% of their power and additional 2% through community solar.
• Member flexibility for additional self-supply and renewables complements 50% renewable energy planned by 2024.

(February 6, 2020 – Westminster, Colo.) – The board of directors of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association has committed to greater member flexibility through partial requirements contracts. The board’s action advances a process by Tri-State’s members to provide more flexibility for self-supply of power and increased local renewable energy development.

At its February meeting, Tri-State’s board accepted a recommendation by a Contract Committee of the cooperative’s membership to hold an open season to allocate 300 megawatts of system-wide member self-supply capacity for future member partial requirements contracts. The open season capacity is 10% of Tri-State’s system demand.

“As a co-op, our members set the path toward more contract flexibility,” said Rick Gordon, Tri-State board chair and director of Mountain View Electric Association in eastern Colorado. “Members desiring more self-supply and local renewables can move forward while continuing to benefit from Tri-State membership.”

Partial requirements contracts address the concerns of members that have fully utilized their 5% self-supply ability under the provisions of their current all-requirements contracts. Members seeking additional self-supply and local renewable energy development beyond the 5% provision will be able to notify Tri-State during the open season of their intent to enter into a partial-requirements contract and the amount of capacity they request to self-supply.

The Contract Committee of Tri-State’s membership continues to evaluate specific details for partial requirements contracts, which will be presented to the board by April, 2020. Additional open seasons could be offered in the future, and members that choose the option will make other members financially whole.

“Tri-State members are working together, debating options and building consensus for more flexibility that will meet the needs of all members in a fair way,” said Scott Wolfe, Contract Committee chairman and a director of the San Luis Valley REC in Monte Vista, Colo. “Together, we continue to make great progress on a complex issue, being thoughtful about what we need and aspire to for our individual distribution systems and as part of the Tri-State cooperative family.”

“Increasing members local renewable energy opportunities is central to Tri-State’s Responsible Energy Plan,” said Duane Highley, Tri-State CEO. “Together, we are meaningfully bolstering member flexibility, decreasing emissions, increasing renewables and extending the benefits of a cleaner grid to electric consumers.”

“By 2024, members will consume 50% renewable energy, and have the option to do even more locally through partial requirements contracts,” said Highley.

At the end of 2019, Tri-State members already had more than 60 renewable energy projects installed or under development, totaling 135 megawatts.

Today’s announcement continues Tri-State’s advancement of flexibility for its members. In 2000, Tri-State’s members were among the first in the nation to modify their power supply contracts to include the self-supply of up to 5% of their power with local renewable energy. In 2019, the Tri-State membership further expanded flexibility beyond the 5% provision when the co-op’s board of directors approved a member-recommended policy to expand community solar projects opportunities across the membership for up to 63 megawatts. In April of 2019, Tri-State’s members changed the cooperative’s bylaws to support alternative membership types, including partial requirements contracts.

About Tri-State

Tri-State is a not-for-profit cooperative of 46 members, including three non-utility members and 43 member electric distribution cooperatives and public power districts in four states that together deliver reliable, affordable and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the West.

For more information about Tri-State and our Responsible Energy Plan, visit www.tristate.coop.

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Contact:

Lee Boughey, 303-254-3555, lboughey@tristategt.org

Mark Stutz, 303-254-3183, mstutz@tristategt.org

Certain information contained in this press statement are forward-looking statements including statements concerning Tri-State’s plans, future events, and other information that is not historical information. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described from time to time in Tri-State’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Tri-State’s expectations and beliefs are expressed in good faith, and Tri-State believes there is a reasonable basis for them. However, Tri-State cannot assure you that management’s expectations and beliefs will be achieved. There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein.