Rawhide Energy Station

Platte River Power Authority's Rawhide Energy Station is located on 4,400 acres of land about 26 miles north of Fort Collins, Colorado. Six generating units are located on the plant site:

• Rawhide Unit 1--a 280 megawatt generator fueled by low-sulfur coal from the Antelope Mine located in Wyoming's Powder River Basin
• Rawhide Units A, B, C, D--four 65 megawatt single-cycle natural gas-fired generators
• Rawhide Unit F--a 128 megawatt single-cycle natural gas-fired generator

Unit 1 is a baseload unit designed to be operated continuously. It's one of the best utilized coal-fired power plants in the United States based on a lifetime Equivalent Availability Factor and Capacity Factor, 91.0% and 84.5%, respectively.

Units A, B, C, D and F provide electricity during Platte River's peak load periods (e.g., between 3 and 7 p.m. on summer weekdays) and can also be operated if Unit 1 must be shut down temporarily.

Rawhide's state-of-the-art air quality control systems help ensure that emissions remain significantly less than state and federal air quality permits allow. Rawhide Unit 1 is nationally recognized as one of the cleanest coal-fired power plants in the United States in terms of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

Platte River owns and manages two herds of American Bison on the Rawhide site. These impressive animals demonstrate that wildlife can coexist in harmony with responsibly operated power generation facilities.

The use of the man-made Hamilton Reservoir instead of cooling towers makes Rawhide a year-round attraction for native wildlife and migratory birds. Since 1986, the reservoir has been the site for an annual bird count sponsored by the National Audubon Society.