PSCo Interconnection: Find Power, Navigate the Queue, Secure Your Site
Public Service Company of Colorado, Xcel Energy’s Colorado utility, studies generators in clusters, with a 45-day window opening every March 15. Data centers and other large loads work with Xcel as retail customers while the Colorado PUC reviews a proposed large-load tariff. Explore each step with our interactive guide, then see where capacity is available.
PSCo (Xcel Energy) Interconnection at a glance
Quick facts | PSCo (Xcel Energy Colorado) |
|---|---|
Who runs it | PSCo, Xcel Energy’s Colorado utility, plans and runs its own transmission system in the Western Interconnection, and isn’t part of an ISO. FERC approves its transmission tariff, and the Colorado PUC oversees retail service. |
Governing rules | Attachment N of the Xcel Energy Joint OATT, explained in PSCo’s interconnection manual (version 6.1, October 2, 2026) |
Generator study process | Annual clusters, filed through PSCo’s GIQ Portal: a 45-day window, a 60-day engagement window, a 150-day Cluster Study, a 150-day restudy if needed, and a facilities study of 90 or 180 days. Annual clusters and resource solicitation clusters run one at a time. |
Queue status | As of September 30, 2026, the 2024 cluster was in study, with the 2025 cluster, two 2026 resource solicitation clusters and the 2026 cluster waiting behind it |
Next window | Opens March 15, 2027. The 2026 window drew 38 requests totaling about 10.9 GW. |
Generator timeline | The tariff’s deadlines add up to roughly 16 to 25 months from window close to a signed agreement, but the wait for earlier clusters comes on top. The 2024 cluster was still in study in fall 2026. |
Generator costs | A $5,000 non-refundable application fee and a study deposit of $150,000 to $250,000 for projects of 80 MW or more. Projects without a qualifying contract or resource plan selection post a readiness deposit of twice the study deposit, rising to 5% and 10% of upgrade costs, with 20% total security at the interconnection agreement. |
Latest study results | The 5RSC-2024 study, issued October 2, 2026, covered 15 requests totaling 4,755 MW and found no network upgrades needed after redispatch. Per-project cost estimates ran from $1.4 million to $56.4 million. |
How large loads connect | Retail customers work with Xcel directly, with no public queue for load. Wholesale customers, such as co-ops, request a new delivery point under PSCo’s transmission tariff. |
Proposed large load tariff | Schedule TL, filed April 2, 2026, would cover 50 MW or more of new or expanded load at transmission level. The PUC’s hearing ran October 21 to 28, 2026, and no decision date is set. |
Proposed large load terms | As filed, per press reports: a contract of 15 years or more, including up to a 5-year ramp, and a minimum bill of 80% of contracted demand. PUC Staff has proposed a 20-year term. |
Last updated | November 3, 2026 |
PSCo Generator Interconnection Process
Generator interconnection,
step-by-step
PSCo studies generators in annual clusters, with a 45-day window that opens every March 15. Clusters run one at a time, so a new request often waits behind several earlier clusters before its own study begins. Readiness requirements rise at each decision point.
-
Check the queue and posted studies. PSCo posts its queue and past study reports, which show which clusters are ahead of you and what earlier studies found at each point of interconnection.
-
Apply during the March window. Submit through PSCo’s GIQ Portal with a $5,000 fee, a study deposit, at least 90% site control and proof of readiness: a qualifying contract, selection in a resource plan or a deposit of twice the study deposit.
-
Customer engagement window. Over 60 days, PSCo holds a scoping meeting and checks each request, and developers sign a Cluster Study Agreement.
-
Wait for earlier clusters. Each cluster’s study starts only after the one ahead of it finishes, which is often the longest part of the process.
-
Cluster Study and first decision. PSCo studies the whole cluster over 150 days. To continue, developers show a qualifying contract or raise their deposit to 5% of upgrade costs.
-
Restudy and facilities study. PSCo restudies the cluster if needed. Developers then return a facilities study agreement with a qualifying contract or a deposit of 10% of upgrade costs, and PSCo designs the facilities over 90 or 180 days.
-
Sign the interconnection agreement. Developers post total security of 20% of upgrade costs and sign the agreement. Delivering the plant’s output also needs a separate transmission service request.
PSCo Large Load Interconnection Process
Large Load interconnection,
step-by-step
Large loads in PSCo’s territory work with Xcel Energy directly, with no public queue for load. Xcel’s proposed large-load tariff, Schedule TL, is before the Colorado PUC, so the steps below combine today’s process with the proposal. Confirm current requirements with Xcel.
-
Contact Xcel. Retail customers start by working with Xcel Energy directly.
-
Retail or wholesale. A wholesale customer, such as a co-op, instead requests a new delivery point under PSCo’s transmission tariff.
-
Check the proposed threshold. Schedule TL would cover 50 MW or more of new or expanded load at transmission level. Until the PUC rules, loads take service under Xcel’s existing rates and pay upfront for customer-specific facilities.
-
Choose a path. Besides the standard path, the proposal offers a Clean Transition Tariff for funding advanced clean resources and a Speed-to-Market option for tailored contracts.
-
Interconnection study. Xcel studies the lines, substations, upgrades and new generation needed to serve the load. Under the proposal, the customer would pay for all of them.
-
Sign the agreements. The customer signs an interconnection agreement and an energy service agreement. As filed, the contract runs 15 years or more with a minimum bill of 80% of contracted demand.
-
Energize and ramp up. The load comes online and ramps toward its contracted demand over up to 5 years.
What's changed recently in PSCo interconnection
Last updated November 2026
PSCo’s generator queue has grown long, with clusters waiting their turn to be studied one at a time. For large loads, Xcel has proposed Colorado’s first large-load tariff, and the PUC just finished its hearing. If your project is in Colorado, check which of these changes apply before the next window or contract.
-
March 2026: PSCo’s 2026 cluster window drew 38 requests totaling about 10.9 GW.
-
April 2, 2026: Xcel filed its proposed large-load tariff, Schedule TL, with the Colorado PUC, covering loads of 50 MW or more of new or expanded demand at transmission level.
-
September 30, 2026: PSCo’s queue report showed the 2024 cluster in study, with four clusters waiting behind it.
-
October 2, 2026: PSCo issued the 5RSC-2024 study, covering 15 requests totaling 4,755 MW, and found no network upgrades needed after redispatch. It also published an updated interconnection manual.
-
October 21–28, 2026: The PUC held its evidentiary hearing on Schedule TL. On the first day, United Power, a co-op with a pending 600 MW large-load request, announced a settlement with Xcel.
-
Coming up: a PUC decision on Schedule TL, with no date set, and the 2027 cluster window, opening March 15, 2027.
How LandGate Helps with PSCo Interconnection
With PSCo, a request can wait years for a study, making a weak site costly in both time and money. For large loads, Xcel’s proposal could require customers to fund infrastructure under 15+ year contracts. LandGate brings the data behind these decisions into one platform.
Get your projects on the grid faster with reliable transmission data.
Make every request count
Every request waits behind the clusters ahead of it, so it pays to apply at the strongest site you can find. Search parcels by criteria such as distance to a substation and available offtake capacity, and see available transfer capacity at transmission-level injection points to find the strongest points of interconnection worth the wait.
Know what's already queued nearby
Four clusters are ahead of any 2027 request, and their projects affect what’s left at each substation. LandGate shows queued projects at the substation level, and its automated offtake capacity studies show substation details, capacity results, limiting elements such as transmission lines and transformers, and queue information.
Find power-ready sites
Under Xcel’s proposal, a large-load customer would pay for the lines, substations and upgrades needed to serve it. LandGate’s Data Center Due Diligence tools help you find the nearest transmission and distribution lines and rank the closest substations by the capacity available to serve the site, helping you target sites close to existing capacity.
Secure the site and the route
PSCo requires 90% site control at application, and 50% site control for interconnection facilities at the agreement. LandGate pairs its comprehensive grid data with proprietary landowner leads, nationwide ownership data and contact information, and a map-based CRM to help you find, secure, and track the right properties.
