Requests for proposals

Listed below are open, closed and in-process RFPs for generation resources. As Platte River’s energy portfolio evolves, we are actively seeking bids for new generation to help us work toward our noncarbon energy future.

Current bid opportunities

Vendor bids for resource RFPs must be submitted via email by the posted deadline. Each RFP has a unique email address to submit questions and final bids.

For responses to questions asked by potential bidders, please scroll down or click the button below.

Platte River will host an optional pre-bid site meeting at the Rawhide Energy Station for the HQ24-1876 All Dispatchable Resources RFP on Monday, April 1, 2024. Please RSVP by Tuesday, March 26, 2024, by responding responding to [email protected] with your organization’s name and the full names of each participant attending.

  • Date: Monday, April 1, 2024
  • Time: 1-3 p.m.
  • Location: Rawhide Energy Station  (2700 East County Road 82, Wellington, CO  80549)
  • RSVP: required no later than Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Platte River will consider Dispatchable Resources meeting the applicable specifications identified in bid specification no. HQ24-1876, Section 3 Bid Proposal Eligibility Requirements.

Platte River has a strong preference for at least three generator step-up transformers (GSUs) connecting three units or blocks to the 230 kV bus. For example, if a bidder offers 150 MW of long-duration energy storage, there should be at least three units or blocks, each producing 50 MW and connected to the high voltage bus independently through a separate GSU. In this example, if one unit/block is out for whatever reason, we will still have 100 MWs available.

For example, if a participant offers 100 MW of nameplate capacity, at least 80 MW should be available for five days (120 hours) continuously without having to recharge. In other words, the facility should be capable of producing at least 9,600 MWh (80 MW X 120 hour) of energy during those five days without having to recharge from the grid.

Yes. Platte River will provide an aerial photo of Rawhide Energy Station after the pre-bid site meeting April 1, 2024.  Please see answer to Question 6 for specific coordinates.

LOAD ALL Q&As
Platte River will provide a kmz file upon request
Platte River will consider a power purchase agreement or a build-transfer ownership agreement for a dispatchable thermal resource, but will consider only an energy services agreement for a battery energy storage system.

Platte River selects short listed projects for further evaluation and project-specific risk assessment once it completes the initial evaluation of all bids received. Platte River will notify short listed projects identified for final selection once it completes the evaluation process.

Platte River does not have a preference but considers overall reliability and overall fixed and variable costs in determining projects selected for the short list.
A Developer must provide a GSU to deliver output to the 230 kV transmission system at Rawhide Energy Station.
Platte River is not providing a bid form for a build-transfer project, but we would expect these bids to include an overall capital cost transfer payment along with fixed operating costs for at least the initial 10 operating years and an estimate for variable operating costs.
A single project may consist of multiple sites to meet the 40 MW minimum if Platte River can operate the entire project with a single control system and the collective attributes of the installations meet the applicable specifications identified in bid specification no. HQ24-1876, Section 3 Bid Proposal Eligibility Requirements.
Each Point of Interconnection at the transmission voltage level (115 kV or greater) will be considered one project site, and multiple projects interconnected at a distribution level with a single control system will be considered one project site.
What we mean is that if a proposed project will connect to facilities operated by a transmission operator other than Platte River, and that connection choice triggers obligations to pay that other transmission provider for reactive power and voltage control, we want the bid price to reflect those additional costs. The Developer will be responsible to pay those costs and manage any lost production unless Platte River became the owner of the completed project.
Developers should include any known transmission service and network upgrade costs in their bids. If a developer does not know upgrade costs, Platte River will estimate transmission service and network upgrade costs during the evaluation stage using results from previous requests for transmission service and estimated upgrade costs for known transmission constraints.
Yes, Platte River may consider projects connected to Platte River’s owner communities’ distribution systems. Please see answers to Questions 19 and 20.
Platte River may consider a project’s additional value to the transmission or distribution system (for example, deferred or avoided upgrade costs or ancillary services charges or ancillary serve revenues) when Platte River evaluates the projects and develops the short list for further consideration.
These events will likely be weather- or outage-driven. We plan for at least one event in a calendar year even though there may be no events in a particular calendar year. The length of the events may vary but Platte River seeks to prepare for 120 hours of minimal (or no) output from solar and wind in the region.
The total expected project run time depends on many factors, including variable operating costs and opportunity costs if the project has a limited number of operating hours.
Platte River needs dispatchable capacity to be available when renewable generation is not. Platte River will issue a separate RFP later this year for battery energy storage systems with four hours of storage.
All Platte River costs are ultimately included in the rates that Platte River’s four owner communities pay. Platte River will evaluate proposals specifically for what Platte River will be obligated to pay for the proposed resource or services.
Platte River seeks dispatchable resources that enable it to manage intermittent renewable resources (both operational variability and dark calms) at the wholesale level, at the magnitude required for a large fleet of weather-dependent resources. If a proposed demand-response or other load reduction program could reliably satisfy the applicable specifications identified in bid specification no. HQ24-1876, Section 3 Bid Proposal Eligibility Requirements, then Platte River would consider it. Please note, however, that managing renewable resource intermittency is not just about reducing load at times of scarcity – it also requires reducing other resources’ output during times of abundance.
Platte River will evaluate projects based on the ultimate delivered cost of power to Platte River.

Pre-bid site meeting Q&As

Yes.

a. During construction:

Platte River requires the developer to provide stormwater management and permitting during construction.

b. Once operational:

Platte River requires the developer to close out the stormwater permit once conditions are stabilized. If the developer is not the operating, then the developer will turn over on-going stormwater management to the site operator.

Platte River does not anticipate allowing stormwater discharge into Hamilton Reservoir or any other existing impoundment at Rawhide. Developers should assume stormwater management is part of the scope and that they must construct all necessary facilities, including stormwater ponds, or, at minimum, coordinate with Platte River to identify the best options, given the nature and location of a given project proposal, for stormwater management.
Platte River is a zero liquid discharge facility. Developers should assume they are responsible for any discharge permits.
Developers should assume they are responsible for developing a plan to manage a reverse osmosis system for products and byproducts under the appropriate regulatory framework. This may include separate infrastructure to evaporate liquid products. Developers are responsible for compliance and Platte River will review the developers’ plans.

Please note:
All other RFPs are managed through Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System. Register or sign up to gain access to bids today.

Platte River cannot ensure the accuracy or completeness of information provided by private plan rooms or third-party websites. Please use Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing as your only online source for Platte River solicitations. Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing does not support plan rooms. If you are a plan room interested in obtaining information on Platte River’s solicitations, please contact contract administration at [email protected].

Past bid opportunities

Bid specification number RFP issue date Fuel type Project name PPA execution date
RFPs: closed
HQ21-1837(a) 12/15/2021 Solar + BESS – transmission system No contract award
HQ21-1837(b) 12/15/2021 BESS – distribution system Negotiating multiple term sheets
HQ23-1860 9/12/2023 Wind Negotiating multiple term sheets
HQ24-1876 2/22/2024 All dispatchable resources No contract award
HQ24-1885 6/14/2024 BESS – transmission system Negotiating term sheet
RFPs: projects installed
RH14-1732 9.24.2014 Solar Rawhide Flats Solar 3/25/2015
HQ17-1778 6.16.2017 Wind Roundhouse 1/22/2018
HQ18-1788 2.21.18 Solar Rawhide Prairie Solar 2/13/2019
HQ19-1806 9.11.19 Solar Black Hollow Sun 12/1/2020

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