FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Platte River Power Authority's Rawhide Energy Station Unit 1 has been included in a list of the three best-utilized U.S. coal-fired power plants published by Electric Light & Power (EL&P) magazine.
After 25 years of operation, Rawhide achieved an all-time-high capacity factor of 96.6 percent in 2009, surpassing the previous high -- 95.0 percent in 2004. According toEL&P, Rawhide's 2009 capacity factor was third highest in the nation. The average annual capacity factor for all U.S. coal-fired power plants is consistently about 73 percent.
"Thanks to our highly skilled and dedicated employees along with proactive maintenance practices, Rawhide has become more reliable over time," said Rawhide's plant manager Jason Frisbie.
"As our lowest-cost resource, Rawhide Unit 1 is critical to our mission of providing reliable and affordable electricity to our owner municipalities," said Brian Moeck, Platte River's General Manager. "A lot has been invested in the plant over the years and it's very important that we operate it the best we can."
Platte River Power Authority generates and delivers reliable, low-cost and environmentally responsible electricity to its owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, Colorado, where it is distributed by each municipal utility to residents and businesses. For more information, please visit www.prpa.org .