Rocky Negotiations Over Wind Power: Boulder impasse on wind energy talks
The problem with wind farms face are similar to the dilemma nuclear plants and even purchasers of LED light bulbs face: the long term savings are there but the upfront costs cause gulps. This is especially true among political classes at a time when government expenditures are under magnifying glasses everywhere.
Xcel Energy Inc. and Boulder have reached an impasse in negotiations for the utility to provide wind power to the city, leaving the utility’s future with the city in doubt.
Before Xcel’s last 20-year franchise agreement with Boulder expired last year, the city started exploring whether to create a municipally owned utility as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and get more energy from renewable sources.
State law requires Xcel to get 30 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020. But in May, Xcel offered to use wind power to supply 90 percent of Boulder’s energy, with the average residential customer paying about $4 extra per month to help cover costs of building a new wind farm in eastern Colorado, if the city would enter another 20-year agreement.