Tri-State members, co-op consumers to benefit from reduced costs, increased reliability through demand response program  

• Federal regulators accept power supply cooperative’s demand response tariff. 

• Demand response program to help provide reliability and resiliency for Tri-State members. 

• Program expected to reduce costs by coordinating demand-side management programs to respond to system needs, particularly during periods of high power demand. 

(May 21, 2025 – Westminster, Colo.) Members of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association will benefit from another resource in the not-for-profit wholesale power supplier’s diverse portfolio. A new Demand Response (DR) Program promotes reliability and resiliency, and reduces costs, by coordinating products and services to respond to system needs, particularly during periods of high energy demand. 

Tri-State’s DR Program, accepted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on May 20, is designed to provide Tri-State’s members with programs that coordinate with end-use consumer members to reduce their energy use at specific times and lessen overall demand on the electric grid. This may occur when the grid is experiencing peaking conditions. 

“The DR program is now one of the many tools available to members to increase the flexibility of their power supply and reduce costs to consumers,” said Duane Highley, Tri-State CEO. “The program highlights Tri-State’s commitment to meeting members’ needs for reliable, affordable, flexible and responsible power, with unique cooperative solutions.” 

With FERC’s approval, Tri-State is now preparing to launch its DR Program this summer, with four program options: Irrigation DR; Commercial and Industrial (“C&I”) DR; Smart Thermostat DR; and Member DR. Each of these programs will enroll end-use member consumers who agree to provide their subscribed capacity to Tri-State in exchange for program incentives. 

Demand response capacity forecasts are incorporated into Tri-State's electric resource planning, including a goal to achieve DR capacity of 4% on Colorado’s system load peak by the end of 2025, or about 58 megawatts of system load.  

The DR Program is available to all Tri-State members, and Tri-State plans to refine the program over time to include additional options, emerging technologies and more flexible resources to address members’ and Tri-State’s system needs into the future. 

Tri-State worked closely with its membership during the development phase to ensure the program will reach its intended users to develop effective system resources. The association is actively engaged with several members to work toward program enrollment and help them identify high-potential capacity. 

“Tri-State greatly appreciates the engagement, collaboration and support from the membership in developing the DR Program and supporting its acceptance by FERC. This program is another value-add offering for the membership that also provides overall system benefit,” Highley added. “Tri-State looks forward to supporting members in deploying this program.” 

About Tri-State 

Tri-State is a power supply cooperative, operating on a not-for-profit basis, serving electric distribution cooperatives and public power district member-owners in four states. Together with our members, we deliver reliable, affordable and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the rural West. Visit www.tristate.coop. 

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.