Executive summary

As Platte River Power Authority (Platte River) celebrates 50 years of service for Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, the utility is looking forward to the next 50 years of transformation, innovation and opportunity to build a cleaner energy future. Platte River has one of the most accelerated decarbonization plans for an electric utility in the country. The energy landscape is also changing rapidly with emerging technologies including battery and thermal storage, advanced metering infrastructure, renewable noncarbon-emitting energy sources and lower carbon natural gas resources. These changes are happening amid an electrification of transportation, homes and businesses, evolving customer needs and expectations and a sweeping commitment to a cleaner energy future.

To address the evolving energy landscape, Platte River has updated the strategic plan for the benefit of our four owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland. The update to the strategic planning process started in early 2022 evaluating the initiatives laid out in 2018: enhanced customer experience, communications and community outreach, resource diversification and alignment and infrastructure advancement and technology development. The 2018 Strategic Plan created the framework that outlined the path for the Platte River Board of Directors to adopt the Resource Diversification Policy (RDP) that was approved later that year. This moment in Platte River’s history marked an inflection point for our organization. As Platte River celebrates a half century of providing power in 2023, this updated strategic plan reflects the ongoing evolution our industry has experienced over the last several years and now outlines how this trajectory is inspired by our organization’s legacy to proudly serve northern Colorado.