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Where your power comes from

Our 2023 Power Supply Roadmap

To work toward reaching our 100×30 Goal of 100% clean energy on an annual basis, we will continue to selectively add new flexible renewable resources that help fill in the final gaps during non-solar hours and winter months of high load, while continuing to first prioritize system reliability and overall costs to members

2024 Power Supply

Holy Cross Energy (HCE) has long-term power supply commitments through contracts with Public Service Company of Colorado (a subsidiary of Xcel Energy), Guzman Energy LLC, and Western Area Power Administration. HCE also has long-term purchase power agreements with several clean and renewable generators, including a 200MW wind farm, 31 commercial solar arrays, and seven small hydroelectric generators. HCE also owns 2.7MW of solar.

HCE owns an 8% share in Unit 3 at the Comanche Generating Station located in Pueblo, CO. The energy from these 750 MW super-critical, coal-fired generating units became operational in July of 2010. Guzman Energy LLC began purchasing this energy from HCE in February of 2019.

2024 Energy by Fuel

76% CLean & Renewable
61% Wind
11% Solar
3% Hydro
1% Biomass
24% Non-Renewable
13% COAL
6% GAS
5% Market

HCE offers a voluntary program to support renewable energy generation in which members may select their fuel source: wind, local hydro, and local solar. A total of 56,781 MWh were purchased by 1,870 HCE members in 2024. In addition, HCE’s members installed an additional 209 small renewable energy generators (mostly solar PV) in 2024, bringing the total number of local renewable installations to 2,927. The total 28.5 MW of net-metered renewable capacity provided about 15,498 MWh to the HCE distribution system during the calendar year.

In 2007, House Bill 1281 added to the existing renewable standards (RES) for investor-owned utilities and required that electric cooperatives like HCE supply 10% of retail sales from renewable sources by 2020, with the required percentages increasing over time. HCE sold a total of 1,277,198 MWh to its retail customers in 2024, resulting in a requirement to have 127,720 MWh in RES eligible generation. Exceeding the requirement, 1,023,188 MWh (76% of all purchases) of HCE’s retail electric sales came from eligible renewable sources, excluding renewable sales to customers under the voluntary pricing program. Renewable Energy Credits equal to those sales are retired on an annual basis using the RES Standards and are not used for any other purpose.

Additionally, HCE filed a Clean Energy Plan (CEP) with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which received approval in 2022. This plan outlines a pathway that is above and beyond the CEP statutory threshold of 80% emissions reductions from 2005 levels, in alignment with HCE’s 100X30 goal.

Emissions & Renewable Energy

HCE procured 1,558,871 MWh of wholesale and generated power. The difference between this figure and total retail sales includes wholesale sales, transmission and distribution line losses, electricity used in company facilities, and electricity provided to net metered customers that was offset under that billing mechanism.

The CO2 emissions associated with electric power generation used to serve HCE’s customers in 2024 totaled approximately 279,082 metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions. Emissions in 2024 were 70% lower than 2005 levels, while sales were 18% higher. Additionally, emissions in 2024 have decreased by 51% from 2023 levels. After accounting for line losses and the sales which have no associated emissions (under voluntary green pricing programs), the average emissions intensity for electricity delivered by HCE during 2024 was 0.484 lbs of CO2 equivalent per kWh.

Download Full CO2 Emissions Report