Electric Companies in Colorado

Colorado Electric Companies

Colorado is located in the central United States, in the eastern part of the Western Interconnection. Depending on the city and area, Colorado residents can purchase electricity either through investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, or through rural electric cooperatives. Colorado is not on the list of deregulated states, and customers cannot choose their electricity providers.

Investor Owned Utilities occupy a large part of Colorado's electricity market. The two largest energy companies of this type are Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy. Wholesale power providers and independent power producers make significant contributions to electricity generation and distribution. Companies such as the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska and Tri-State sell electricity to wholesale suppliers. High-voltage and low-voltage transmission lines are also maintained and supported by electric utilities. More recently, energy companies in Colorado have been actively developing "smart grid" systems that effectively monitor and control the state's transmission lines.

The activity of power companies and electric utilities is controlled at the state level by the Public Utilities Commission. At the federal level, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversees electric utilities. The Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities and the Colorado Rural Electric Association promote the interests of market participants at the legislative level, provide staff training and implement innovations. Investor Owned Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives promote renewable energy and offer consumers financial incentive programs, green rate plans and green rate plan options.