Xcel Admits It Doesn’t Need More Renewable Energy
May 13th, 2011So Why Build an Expensive New Transmission Line Over La Veta Pass?
Here they go again.
Xcel has finally publicly admitted that they do not need any additional renewable energy to meet the state deadline requiring that 30 percent of Xcel’s energy come from renewable sources by 2020.
Today’s Denver Business Journal reports Xcel will meet its requirement in 2012, eight years ahead of schedule.
“We have what we need for renewable resources . . .,” says Robin Kittel, Xcel’s Director of Regulatory and Policy Analysis, in the DBJ article.
This undermines Xcel’s insistence that it needs the “SoCo” transmission line over pristine La Veta Pass in order to meet its renewable energy requirements.
Xcel has frequently “green washed” the proposed “SoCo” transmission line, stating in news articles and at public forums that it needs to add renewable energy and build new transmission to meet the 30 percent by 2020 (30×20) requirement.
Xcel’s Kathy Worthington said it last year to the Pueblo Chieftain — “We don’t have enough existing transmission and, based on difficulties we’re facing, we’re not sure we’re going to get that done,” she said, in reference to meeting the state mandate.
Earlier this week, PUC Commissioner Jim Tarpey went so far as to note that Xcel would have a difficult time justifying more additions of renewable energy now, because Xcel has all the renewable energy it needs to meet the state mandate until 2027 or 2029.
Even the State’s top renewable expert, Richard Mignogna, saw through Xcel’s disingenuous statements about the stalled line. He stated that a delay in building the SLV-Calumet power line is not the key reason that Xcel has failed to acquire major solar resources in the San Luis Valley.
The wheels are coming off of Xcel’s transmission line bus. These are just a few samples of the many trumped-up statements Xcel makes that are refuted by the facts, professional experts and in many instances, their own words.
Why are they so insistent that the line must be built? Profit, pure and simple. Xcel makes many millions by building this line, even though the capacity is not needed. And the Public Utilities Commission let them out of making any commitment to ever move any electricity over the line, let alone renewable energy.
What they are trying to do is scandalous. And Colorado ratepayers ought to be outraged.
Read the Denver Business Journal article here. Get the facts and get informed, because the utilities hope you don’t.