GCEA to purchase energy from proposed Valley Range Energy Park

Empire Electric Association (EEA), Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA), San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (SLVREC) and San Miguel Power Association (SMPA), through a cooperative effort, have agreed to purchase power from Valley Range Energy Park as part of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s Bring Your Own Resource (BYOR) program.

Valley Range Energy Park is a 125MW solar energy generation facility collocated with a 62.5MW battery energy storage system (BESS) being developed and planned east of Cortez in an unincorporated area of Montezuma County by Accelergen Energy. If approved, the low-cost solar in combination with demand stabilizing BESS would generate revenue for Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) through renewable energy investment in Colorado.

“We know that solar energy is the cheapest source of energy, and Valley Range offers an opportunity for significant renewable infrastructure on the Western slope,” said Accelergen’s Development Director, Matt Ryan. “We value this opportunity to generate low-cost energy to meet Southwest Colorado’s energy needs,” said Ryan.

GCEA’s share of the project will be 11.2 megawatts of solar generation and 7.25 megawatts of battery storage.

Once operational, Valley Range is expected to provide approximately 23% of GCEA's energy supply needs. The power provided to GCEA will be 100% renewable and non-carbon emitting and will result in a profit that will be used to reduce GCEA’s power supply costs.

"This project is a significant step forward for GCEA and our members," said GCEA CEO Mike McBride. "We're adding a substantial amount of renewable energy to our power supply while also pursuing savings that can benefit our members. It is a great example of cooperatives working together to find practical, cost-effective solutions for our energy future. We support Valley Range’s permit and hope that Montezuma County officials recognize the opportunity for electricity generation and tax revenue for their county,” said McBride.

For GCEA members, Valley Range represents another component of the cooperative's long-term effort to provide reliable, affordable and increasingly renewable electricity. Combined with GCEA's other renewable energy initiatives and Tri-State's ongoing efforts in Colorado, the project is expected to help reduce GCEA's carbon emissions by approximately 90% compared with its 2015 baseline.

GCEA will provide additional updates as the project progresses through permitting, construction and development, with commercial operation targeted for 2029.