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Boulder sees upside if the Colorado city breaks from Xcel Energy I StarTribune.com Page 2 of 3 <br />Xcel sought a new, 20 -year franchise with the city <br />and has opposed the switch to municipal <br />ownership. David Eves, CEO of Xcel's operations <br />in Colorado, said Friday that the utility needs to <br />see more details about the city's financial model. <br />"We are going to want to see the assumptions," <br />Eves said in an interview. <br />If Boulder were to make the switch to a publicly <br />owned power company, it would be the largest <br />U.S. city to do so in at least a decade, according <br />to the American Public Power Association. <br />Boulder has a population of 100,0000. <br />The city's study, which assumes the takeover <br />would occur in 2017, is one of several steps in a <br />process that could end in the city government <br />acquiring Xcel's Boulder electrical distribution <br />system, including poles and wires. The study <br />assumed a takeover cost of $150 million to $405 <br />million. In April, the Boulder City Council is <br />scheduled to vote on whether to keep pushing <br />toward municipalization. <br />Xcel, which uses the most wind power of any U.S. <br />utility, says it's in a position to advance renewable <br />energy goals for Boulder without a municipal <br />takeover. Eves said Xcel has proposed a <br />partnership with the city to advance renewable <br />energy and greenhouse gas reductions. <br />"We are interested in working with them to see <br />what kind of additional flexibility we can offer to <br />meet their needs," he said. <br />Eves criticized Boulder for proposing to include in <br />its municipal system several thousand customers <br />living outside the city. "They are not represented <br />by city officials, and they don't vote in city <br />elections," he said. <br />In the past decade, just 12 U.S. communities <br />have broken away from investor -owned power <br />companies to create new municipal electric <br />utilities, the public power association said. The <br />largest was Winter Park, Fla., with 13,750 <br />customers. <br />Most of the nation's 2,008 municipal power <br />companies were formed early in the 20th century. <br />They serve more than 20 million customers, 14.5 <br />percent, of U.S. power users. <br />David Shaffer • 612 - 673 -7090 Twitter. <br />@ShafferStrib <br />3 comments Oresizetexto print buyreprints Recommend 11 <br />From Around the Web sponsored links More from Star Tribune <br />Tweet ' 1 <br />2LI17 Service <br />100% Satisfaction Guaranteed <br />Or your money back! <br />ADVERTISEMENT <br />tb x • <br />ADVERTISEMENT <br />fan gear » <br />Hockey is back) <br />Get your MN Wild <br />gear. <br />Shop Now » <br />my ob <br />rocs » <br />TOP <br />WORK <br />PLACES <br />Nominate your <br />company now » <br />steals <br />�.» <br />C�ti:7 <br />stagy fine <br />i Save <br />I OW! <br />Save 50% off or <br />morel » <br />ADVERTISEMENT <br />• <br />• <br />2010 VW Tiguan 2012 VW Passat <br />http: / /www.startribune.com /business /192624391.htm1 2/27/2013 <br />