COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs Utilities announced today that six new Natural Gas Generator units will be able to replace all energy output from the Martin Drake Power Plant. They will also be more efficient, cheaper to operate, and faster at providing energy to customers.
"We're here to celebrate technology that is light years ahead of the old power plant behind us," said Mayor John Suthers, referring to the Drake Power Plant.
These generators are part of an effort from the city to reduce 80% of their carbon emissions by 2030.
"These natural gas units are low emissions, they require far less staff resources, and can start up in a matter of minutes," said Councilmember and Colorado Springs Utilities Board Chair Dave Donelson.
The CEO of CSU, Travas Deal, says that these generators are some of the first of their kind in North America.
"As we bring more renewables online, these units will help require and support the reliability of the community," said Deal.
He continued that these units will lead to savings on utility bills down the line. However, he did not mention when and by how much.
"What these are going to allow us to do as we enter our market is to have more generation that's quicker acting, where we can actually sell on the grid that would save our ratepayers money when it's beyond our needs. So these could actually be a tool that will help impact rates in a positive way moving forward".
Colorado Springs Utilities says that these 6 generators are mobile. Meaning that as the city expands and energy needs change, these units can be moved to different areas, to keep up with demand.
"These can be relocated to where our needs are best, and they're not a fixed asset. So it allows us a lot of flexibility of what the future looks like for Colorado Springs Utilities," said Deal.
Natural Gas prices can fluctuate depending on variables like production, delivery, and demand.
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