Colorado PUC accepts fast-track schedule for Xcel resource filing, presses for forecast detail
Commissioners accepted a shortened intervention schedule for Public Service’s 2027-2028 resource-adequacy application and said they want clearer explanations for changes in load forecasts and capacity assumptions.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission on June 24 accepted a shortened intervention schedule for Public Service Company of Colorado’s near-term resource-adequacy application covering 2027 and 2028, while also pressing for more detail on how the utility’s load forecasts changed from earlier filings, according to the commission’s weekly meeting record.
Advisory staff said Public Service filed the application June 15 and asked for a 10-business-day notice and intervention period, along with extraordinary protection for highly confidential information. Staff recommended granting the shortened intervention period and aligning the protective-order response deadline with the intervention deadline on July 8. Commissioners agreed, the meeting record shows.
Commissioners also said the filing did not clearly explain changes from Public Service’s March 2026 resource-adequacy materials. They asked for an easier-to-follow comparison of resource-position tables, project-level assumptions, force-outage rates and accredited capacity, according to the meeting discussion.
Large-load forecasting drew particular scrutiny. Commissioners said the changes appeared significant, especially for 2026 and 2027, and questioned whether those additions were reflected in the resource-adequacy forecast. One commissioner also said the utility should identify loads that had previously been described as withdrawn between direct and rebuttal testimony in the company’s just-transition-solicitation case but were treated differently in the current materials, the meeting record shows.
The public record available for this story does not establish the exact before-and-after megawatt values discussed at the meeting. It does show commissioners asking for workpapers or other explanations to connect the earlier forecast to the June filing, according to the meeting record.
The meeting record does not show the commission formally attaching those transparency requests to its procedural vote. Instead, commissioners discussed possible follow-up requests for updated executable workpapers and other explanatory material after approving the schedule, according to the meeting video.
The PUC’s public Research and Emerging Issues page separately lists a “Near-Term Resource Adequacy Update” dated May 6, indicating the forecast questions were part of a broader commission review of near-term capacity issues before the June application, according to the commission webpage.