Coop Issuing RFP for Distributed Generation

Split Rock Energy, a wholesale power marketer and trader and wholly owned subsidiary of Great River Energy, has issued and will issue two request for proposals (RFP) for two very different types of power resources: baseload and distributed generation.

The baseload RFP seeks proposals offering up to 200 MW of baseload resources to be on-line by May 1, 2011. The distributed generation RFP will request proposals using distributed generation to meet a very specific application – avoiding additional transmission investment while improving reliability in certain areas. Great River Energy will use the results of the RFP to determine if it can more cost effectively improve reliability in specific situations using distributed generation rather than by building additional transmission.

The distributed generation RFP documents should be available by January 14, 2005. Great River Energy is also seeking indications of interest prior to actually issuing the distributed generation RFP.

Democratic Energy finds this development very encouraging and we support the efforts of customer-owned utilities to fully investigate the opportunities that distributed generation can provide to their owner/members. We believe that all utilities should seek to maximize the efficient use of their existing transmission and distribution system rather than build new lines. We'll check back and see what happens with this RFP in 2005.

Great River Energy, which serves 28 distribution cooperatives, is one of the fastest growing energy providers in the state of Minnesota. It presently has a generating capacity of approximately 2,300 megawatts.

More: