Longtime Xcel Energy executive David Eves has been named president and chief operating officer of Xcel’s Public Service Co. of Colorado effective Sunday.
Eves also will assume the title of chief executive in Colorado upon the Dec. 31 retirement of current president and CEO Tim Taylor.
Eves, 51, has served in various positions with Minneapolis-based Xcel and PSCo since 1981. Prior to his current assignment as president and chief executive of Southwestern Public Service in Amarillo, Texas, he was Xcel’s vice president of resource planning and acquisition in Denver.
“I’m not the type of person who comes in and shakes things up right away,” Eves said of his new job. “We’ve been on the forefront of environmental initiatives, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and I want to continue the emphasis there.”
With Xcel’s new coal-fired generator at the Comanche plant in Pueblo, Eves said there is no immediate need for more coal- burning plants in Colorado. The new unit has drawn praise for its advanced emission controls but also criticism for producing more carbon from coal combustion.
Eves said he is “intrigued” with the idea of incorporating more renewable energy into Xcel’s Colorado power mix.
Wind and solar power provide about 10 percent of Xcel’s electricity in Colorado, and the utility may meet the state mandate of 20 percent renewables several years before the 2020 deadline, according to company projections.
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
