Public data · Free to use
Colorado Data Center Power Rules: Large-Load Tariffs and State Law
How Colorado’s utilities and lawmakers handle data-center-sized power requests: 1 utility, compiled from public filings, with a source on every entry.
Last checked October 22, 2026All states
Utilities
Colorado utilities and their large-load rules.
Xcel Energy (Public Service Company of Colorado)
CO · Non-RTO West · Xcel Energy
In reviewApr 2026Proposed large-load rate class and Clean Transition Tariff
Xcel filed a large-load rate class for new loads above 50 MW in Colorado; the commission is still hearing the case.
- Applies to: New or added load above 50 MW
- PUC principles: $250,000 nonrefundable study deposit
- PUC principles: exit fee equal to 75% of the contract's electricity
- Signed service and interconnection agreements before load enters the forecast
- Optional Clean Transition Tariff for added zero-emission supply
Sources: High Plains Public Radio, Xcel proposes new rate scale for data centers to shield consumers from added power costs (2026); Axios Denver, How a large load tariff could work for Xcel (2026); Earthjustice, Public Interest Groups Seek Intervention in Xcel Energy Data Center Tariff Proceeding (2026)
What this can and can’t tell you
The rules are public. Whether your site can get power isn’t.
Anyone could pull these filings; we compile them so they’re easy to find. Terms change often, so confirm them with the utility or the commission docket before relying on them.
Going deeper: Data Center Site Selection in Colorado: Xcel’s Large-Load Tariff, Water and Local Rules
This tracker · Public, free
- A utility’s published rules for large new loads
- The same answer for every site in that utility’s territory
- What the terms are if power is available
- Compiled from filings anyone can read
A BlackForge report · Site-specific
- Whether a specific parcel can actually be served, and roughly when
- Substation headroom and the realistic connection path
- Gas, water, fiber, buildable land and zoning, checked together
- Built and refreshed for your load, your timeline and your parcels
Cite this tracker
BlackForge Data Centers. "Colorado data center power rules," Large-Load Power Tracker. Last checked October 22, 2026. https://www.blackforgedatacenters.com/data-center-power-tracker/colorado
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit.
Need the answer for a specific site in Colorado?
Parcel-level screening and verification, built for your load and timeline.