When La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) moved to independent power supply and joined the Southwest Power Pool this year, the change was worth celebrating. It also left the co-op with a lot to explain. Independence meant stepping away from its G&T (Generation and Transmission cooperative), the wholesale supplier that a group of distribution co-ops jointly own and buy power from. The members who own LPEA deserved to understand what that meant, so the co-op answered with a public, TEDx-style evening called Community Power X.
The first one took place in April, at the Durango Arts Center. The second was held on October 13 for National Co-op Month. LPEA now treats the event as a regular part of its community engagement plan, and it turned the first evening into an episode of its podcast, Southwest Power Stories, so members who couldn't attend could still hear it.
Here is what the first evening covered and why the format is worth borrowing.
A vision statement, said out loud in front of members
LPEA board president Nicole Pitcher opened the evening by tying the milestone to the co-op's roots: local decision-making, practical solutions, and an informed, engaged membership. Independence, she said, makes a stronger connection between place and power possible.
LPEA CEO Chris Hansen then laid out the board's refined strategic goal: one goal, two parts.
Work toward rates lower than 70% of LPEA's peers.
By 2030, meet Colorado's emissions requirements and beat them, reducing emissions from 2005 levels by at least 80%.
He closed the episode with the board's three-part vision: be member-powered every single day, be ready for the future, and strive to be a national leader in every part of operations. Hearing it in a room full of members, rather than reading it in a newsletter, demonstrated the impact of the change, and the strong commitment of LPEA’s leadership.
A panel of CEOs who have made the same move
The centerpiece was a panel of CEOs from neighboring utilities: Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Delta-Montrose Electric Association and Farmington Electric Utility System. All of them have recently gone through similar changes to their power supply arrangements, and they shared what they learned.
Kit Carson's path started with a lack of voice. CEO Luis A. Reyes Jr. described years of feeling shut out of decisions about power supply, then deciding that "working within the system didn't work." Kit Carson negotiated its exit from its G&T in 2016, polled members on what kind of power supply they wanted, and set goals around those answers. It paid off its exit fee early, in 2022, and that year became 100% solar during the day. Reyes said the key to its success has been engaging members: making sure they understand the pros and cons of each decision, then moving forward together.
Delta-Montrose took a different route. Its exit came in 2020. CEO Jack Johnston pointed to governance as the core issue, and to the limits that a cap on local generation put on how much of its own hydro it could use.
Farmington brought a municipal perspective. Director Hank Adair explained that the utility already generated about 60% of its own power, and the panel discussed how being part of a regional market changes how utilities run existing plants and buy from others.
What the panel said co-ops should plan for
A few themes came up repeatedly:
Planning is now your job. With a G&T, much of the resource planning is done for you. Independent co-ops now plan with their own counties and cities, and invest in demand-side, distributed energy and efficiency programs to shape peaks.
Load growth looks different at each co-op. One panelist described single large-load inquiries of 50 to 100 megawatts, up to half of the utility's entire peak. Another is planning for aging members with medical devices that need power around the clock, and looking at batteries behind the meter instead of bigger substations.
Wildfire risk shapes investment. Vegetation management, microgrids, and long-duration storage came up as ways to keep power available to first responders and community leaders even when a line goes down. One panelist noted that blanket power shutoffs just move the risk from the co-op to the member.
The region can lead together. Transmission constraints and electrons that don't respect state lines mean collaboration is not optional. As one panelist said of members, they know more about electricity than utilities have historically given them credit for.
The evening also honored lineworkers and included a round of lineman "two truths and a lie," a reminder that the point was a celebration as well as a briefing.
What this means for co-ops
You don't need a theater to copy the approach:
Celebrate milestones publicly. A big change is easier to explain when members are in the room and invited to react.
Bring in peers. A panel of CEOs who have done it, including what went wrong, builds credibility that a presentation from your own staff can't.
Say your vision out loud. A short, plain-language statement repeated in front of members makes it something they can hold you to.
Record it. LPEA's podcast episode gives members who missed it a way to catch up, and gives other co-ops a look at how it ran.
Make it a series. After April, LPEA came back in October with a second event on battery storage, wildfire preparedness and its first six months of independence.
Listen to the first Community Power X
The April event is available as "Celebrating Energy Independence" on Southwest Power Stories. Details on the October event are on LPEA's event page.
Why this matters to the Co-op Innovation Network
Community Power X is peer learning in action. A co-op that has already made a hard move shares what worked, what didn't, and what it would do differently, in front of the members who will live with the result. That is the idea behind the Co-op Innovation Network: a free, peer-driven network that connects electric co-op board directors and operational leaders with proven ideas, trusted peers, and practical resources.
Many of the topics on that panel, including battery storage and grid modernization, are ones co-op leaders bring to our webinar series. If you are planning a member event of your own, Co-op Compass is our knowledge hub for practical tools across five focus areas, including member engagement, utility operations and governance, and leadership and culture.
LPEA's lesson is one any co-op can use: the people who own the co-op want to hear from it, and they know more than we give them credit for. Start with a room, a few honest peers, and a way for members to interact.
Frequently asked questions
What is Community Power X?
A recurring, TEDx-style event hosted by LPEA that brings experts, leaders and community members together to talk about local energy. It is part of LPEA's ongoing member engagement plan.
What did the first Community Power X celebrate?
Two milestones: LPEA's move to independent power supply and its entry into the Southwest Power Pool. It also honored lineworkers and featured a panel of regional CEOs.
Who was on the panel?
Luis A. Reyes Jr. of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Jack Johnston of Delta-Montrose Electric Association and Hank Adair of Farmington Electric Utility System, moderated by LPEA CEO Chris Hansen.
Can members who missed it still hear it?
Yes. The April event is available as a podcast episode on Spotify, and LPEA records Community Power X so members who couldn't attend can catch up.
When was the second event?
October 13 at the Durango Arts Center, held for Cooperative Month. It covered LPEA's first six months of independent power supply, home battery storage and wildfire preparedness.
Can other co-ops do something similar?
Yes. A milestone worth celebrating, a few good speakers, a way for members to ask questions, and a recording afterward are all you need.