BRIGHTON – Brighton’s energy co-op, United Power, filed a pair of exit-fee calculators as part of its response to a decision from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

A press statement said the calculators can help the commission and others to evaluate the impact of the co-op’s proposed balance sheet and modifications to the balance sheet that the commission proposed and that Administrative Law Judge Renee Terry approved.

The tool lets the 42 utility members to assess exit fees from Tri-State Generation and Transmission. One set of fees, modeled on the commission’s adopted calculations, allows each member to enter their desired departure date and to select exit options

“We appreciate the hard work by FERC staff in proposing solutions for departure from our power supplier that are in most respects aligned with what United Power has consistently advocated as a fair outcome,” said Mark A. Gabriel, president and CEO of United Power, in the statement. “By following United Power’s balance sheet approach, everyone can calculate their actual cost to depart. This is critical for future planning for our current power supplier and its utility members. Though the initial decision modifications present implementation questions and other obstacles that we challenge in our exceptions brief, we believe the decision’s principles chart a course toward members’ fair transition to competitive supply and open access.”

United Power indicated its departure from Tri-State, effective May 1, 2024.