Wyoming

Number of Sites with CHP: 12

Total Installed Megawatts: 174

Sample Companies and Facilities Using CHP

Industrial:

  • Afton Generating Company *renewable
  • Amoco Oil Co.
  • Devon Energy Inc. / Amoco Production Company
  • Exxon Mobil Shute Creek Plant
  • General Chemical Corporation
  • Howell Petroleum Corp. Elk Basin Gasoline Plant / Winkelman Dome
  • Simplot SF Phosphates
  • Sinclair Oil Corp
  • Young Electric

Institutional:

  • Laramie County School District

Agricultural:

  • Wyoming Premium Farms *renewable

* Contact Us if you know of additions or subtractions from this list.

Wyoming Policies Affecting CHP

Statewide Interconnection Procedures: No

  • Wyoming is one of only a handful of states that have not established statewide interconnection standards, thus making it harder, more expensive, and more complicated for individual businesses to choose to generate their own power.
  • About statewide interconnection policies

Waste Heat Included in Renewable Portfolio Standard: No

  • Wyoming does not have a renewable portfolio standard, despite a large potential quantity of industrial waste heat that could be profitably recovered with the right policies in place, greatly benefiting Wyoming's industrial sector.
  • About waste heat in renewable portfolio standards

CHP in Utility Demand-Side Management: No

  • In 2011 we provided testimony to the Wyoming Public Service Commission encouraging CHP to be considered in PacifiCorp's demand-side management portfolio, but we do not yet know if this will lead to an actual program or incentives. Such a program would greatly benefit Wyoming's industrial sector, helping it to reduce costs and save jobs.
  • About CHP in efficiency portfolio standards

Output-based Emission Standards: No

Fair Standby Rates: Unknown

  • We have not heard direct reports of Wyoming utility standby rates either helping or hurting CHP projects. Neither the legislature nor the public service commission has studied the issue.
  • About standby rates

CHP-Specific Incentives: No

Assessment of CHP Conditions in Wyoming

Wyoming Electricity Prices

Average Retail Electricity Prices

Like Utah, electricity prices in Wyoming remain very low in comparison to the national average, as well as being nearly tied with Utah in terms of having the lowest prices among the southwest states. Along with these low prices, Wyoming has about the least volatility in price among the southwest states, trending nearly linearly over time with only slightly more than a cent difference in price over a five year period.

Wyoming average commercial retail electricity price (2010) 7.45 ¢/kWh
National average commercial retail electricity price (2010) 10.26 ¢/kWh
Wyoming average industrial retail electricity price (2010) 4.97 ¢/kWh
National average industrial retail electricity price (2010) 6.79 ¢/kWh

Source: EIA; data is year-to-date through December 2010.
Note: All data post January 2010 are preliminary estimates based on a cutoff model sample.

Wyoming Natural Gas Prices

Average Retail Natural Gas Prices

Natural gas prices in Wyoming are about the second least volatile and second lowest priced among the southwest states. Trends in prices stay fairly consistent with average national prices while remaining just less than two dollars cheaper at most periods of time for the commercial customers and remaining about even or slightly lower in price for industrial customers. Due to this relatively low price, and volatility, CHP projects have a good chance of being economically sound.

When evaluating CHP, a considerable amount of attention needs to be placed on the price of natural gas, and where it may be headed in the future. The combination of relatively low electric prices and rising natural gas prices makes it more difficult for a CHP project to be economic and generate cost savings, but there are still going to be successful applications for the appropriate use of CHP. The best applications are those that value high reliability, have higher electric rates during peak times, spend a high percentage of their energy bill on air conditioning, and/or potentially could make use of a "waste fuel."

Wyoming average commercial natural gas price (2010) 7.13 $/TCF
National average commercial natural gas price (2010) 9.23 $/TCF
Wyoming average industrial natural gas price (2010) 5.50 $/TCF
National average industrial natural gas price (2010) 5.34 $/TCF

Source: EIA; data is year-to-date through December 2010.

Key Wyoming Contacts

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** Click on a state to learn more about the
status of CHP in that state