Brighton, CO — United Power is pleased to announce the promotion of Jonathan Aust to the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Energy Resource Officer, replacing Dean Hubbuck who is retiring in August. Aust joined the cooperative earlier this year as the co-op’s Vice President of Energy Resource Planning.

“We are fortunate to have someone with the professional background and high level of expertise that Jonathan brings to this position,” stated Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO. “His more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry has already been an asset to the cooperative while working with our power supply team the past few months, learning the details of United Power’s many power purchase agreements.”

Prior to joining United Power, Aust served as Vice President of Power Operations for the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA). In that role he led a team of more than 80 employees to support power operations responsible for covering a seven-state region and two balancing authorities, delivering power to energy providers across the footprint. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Information Technology for SCADA/EMS, or supervisory control and data acquisition and energy management system, supporting WAPA’s control centers across a 15-state area.

Aust has served in leadership for a variety of key industry committees, including several representing the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC). He was honored in 2022 with WECC’s Outstanding Contributor Award.

“As we expand our many power contracts and continue to diversify our resources, we need a leader like Jon in this key role,” stated Gabriel. “His ability to lead a team, coupled with his extensive knowledge of the industry, will help continue to build a new portfolio of power that reflects the cooperative’s focus on diverse power sources and integration of local generation.”

About United Power

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms, and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The cooperative is one of the fastest-growing electric co-ops in the nation, serving more than 115,000 meters. Its 900-square mile service territory extends from the mountains of Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyon, along the I-25 corridor and Carbon Valley region, to the farmlands of Brighton, Hudson, and Keenesburg. For more information about United Power, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow the cooperative on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

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Engaging with our communities is the best part of working for a cooperative. Whether it is answering a direct question from one of our members, supporting local fairs and festivals, or receiving input from our key accounts at quarterly meetings, the insight you provide helps us understand and respond to member needs. Listening to your needs is a critical component of how we operate. 

Since I joined United Power in early 2021, we have seen amazing and continued growth. Loads have increased by more than 31% and our projected peak this summer is nearly 700 MW (for context, 1 MW is enough to power 700–1,000 average-sized homes). We have also added nearly 20,000 new meters, which is the size of an average cooperative in the United States. Annually, we add as many members as some smaller U.S. cooperatives have in total. 

Ensuring we have sufficient power supply to serve growing loads now and for years to come meant we needed to expand our portfolio of power projects. Our power comes from a variety of technologies, ranging from hydropower and natural gas to solar and battery storage, bringing reliability and resilience to our distribution system and our members. And, of course, many members have added their own solar and storage resources and drive electric vehicles (EV). United Power’s service territory has among the highest penetration of residential solar in the nation and more than 8,000 EVs. 

The cooperative is fortunate to have a growing and well-diversified membership base nearly evenly split between oil and gas, commercial and industrial, and residential and small commercial. This allows for a balanced load factor on our system, resulting in high utilization of the electricity we provide for members. 

Recently, we have had conversations with our oil and gas members to understand their needs and how we can support them as they strive to meet state regulations. Electrification of the oil and gas industry provides a cleaner way of producing their products and a more efficient use of resources, as is true of many parts of society. Closely coordinating with these members means we can leverage our reduced-carbon generating resources in alignment with their needs. 

Data centers are also expanding their footprint in our territory. While some utilities are challenged by the influx of these energy-intensive operations, we encourage these potential members to work with us in a coordinated fashion that aligns with the concept of “growth pays,” as well as our move to expanding our distribution system operator plans.

It is especially important that we hear from our members directly about our $262 million grant through the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. One of the cornerstones of the program has been developing our Community Benefit Plan (CBP). We are asking for your input on how our CBP initiatives can help local communities. Our first outreach was at Brighton Summerfest in early June, where dozens of members “voted” for their top three (out of seven) projects to be implemented as part of the CBP. There will be additional opportunities throughout the summer to participate, including multiple days at the Adams County Fair. Members may also let us know their favorite projects on the co-op website. We want to hear from you!

It is a privilege to work with the tremendous people here at United Power, supported by an active and engaged Board of Directors, as we enact Our Cooperative Roadmap. Engaging with our members makes us strong.

As always, please feel free to reach out with your questions, comments, or concerns or if you would like to discuss the CBP or New ERA grant program. I enjoy hearing from you and appreciate your continued support. Have a safe and enjoyable summer.