Major Northern Colorado cities warn lack of power generation could temporarily stunt region’s projected growth

Rapid growth across parts of Northern Colorado is colliding with a growing challenge — being able to access enough electricity to support new homes and businesses.

Local leaders in Greeley say demand for power has increased significantly in recent decades. This is as technology becomes more integrated into everyday life, and it creates pressure on an electric grid that is struggling to keep pace with population growth and development.

“We are growing pretty rapidly,” said Don Threewitt, interim community and economic developer for the city of Greeley.

Threewitt said the state’s electric demand has shifted dramatically in the last decade, as residents rely more heavily on technology. From smartphones and electric vehicles to increasingly connected homes and workplaces, the demand for electricity is rising faster than Colorado’s ability to generate and deliver power.

“I don’t think the average Coloradan realizes how much more power is needed to accommodate the lifestyle, the work life and sort of how we live today,” Threewitt told CBS Colorado.

Greeley officials say the city has many of the ingredients needed to continue attracting growth, including available land, water resources and a stable workforce. However, Threewitt said access to electricity has emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to accommodating more growth.

Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans said the issue extends beyond Greeley and is affecting communities throughout Colorado.

“We don’t have enough power,” Evans told CBS Colorado.

Evans said power limitations are already influencing economic development decisions.

“I know of hundreds of jobs that Colorado has lost because a company that wanted to locate here couldn’t get the power,” Evans said.

Without additional electrical capacity, Evans warned that growth could slow substantially.

“(Without more power export) we can’t attract businesses; we can’t build new houses,” Evans said. “Really, growth comes to a screeching halt.”

Evans said he is working on legislation aimed at streamlining the process of generating and distributing power throughout the state, primarily through easing the process to receiving permits. Still, local leaders say addressing the challenge will require coordination among local governments, utilities, state officials and federal policymakers.

“It takes time, and it takes deliberate effort on a large group of people,” Threewitt said. “Let’s identify the need, provide the resources, and then get out of the way so it can get done.”

The challenge is particularly pressing in Greeley, where city officials say the population is growing between 1.5% and 3% annually. At the same time, planning and constructing the power lines needed to expand the electric grid can take between five and eight years.

Even those infrastructure projects depend on utilities having enough power available to distribute to customers.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Xcel Energy said the company is investing heavily to meet Colorado’s growing energy needs. The utility plans to invest $17.6 billion in Colorado through 2030 to modernize and expand the electric grid and add new energy resources.

The spokesperson said Xcel’s “Colorado Distribution System Plan” includes new substations, transformers and feeder projects in the Greeley area. The company is also adding 400 megawatts of dispatchable power at Fort St. Vrain and another 100 megawatts at Fort Lupton, both of which serve Greeley and Weld County.

According to the statement, Xcel has identified resource adequacy as a growing concern for several years and has proposed multiple solutions, including a near-term procurement plan designed to add 3,800 megawatts of new generation capacity. The company said the plan could save customers nearly $3 billion by utilizing expiring tax credits.

Xcel also plans to file additional proposals addressing both short-term and long-term power needs. The utility company said it remains committed to working with regulators, local communities and policymakers to ensure reliable electric service while supporting economic growth across Colorado.