Denver Water generated 73,444,676 kWh equivalents of clean energy from its solar and hydropower facilities in 2025 and consumed 73,229,351 kWh equivalents of electricity, natural gas and vehicle fuel. The surplus was 215,325 kWh equivalents, about 0.3% of its use.
A surplus that is not net zero
Denver Water does not count the result as net-zero carbon. Much of its hydropower is sold to Xcel Energy under power purchase agreements, and under those contracts the buyer counts the clean energy toward its own goals. To meet the target its Board adopted on November 6, 2024, net-zero carbon emissions by the end of 2030 against a 2015 baseline, Denver Water has to generate and claim enough power for its own operations.
Hydropower in a dry year
The 2025 balance also came before the drought. April–July 2026 natural streamflow into Denver Water's reservoirs was 95,000 acre-feet, 22% of normal. Storage stood at 66% on October 26, 2026, against an average of 89% for the date. Its largest single generating unit, the Roberts Tunnel plant near Grant, produces up to 6 MW from water diverted from Dillon Reservoir.
What the targets measure
Denver Water's 2025 interim goal was a 50% cut in carbon emissions from 2015 levels. In November 2024 it said it was on track. Its published account of 2025, however, is an energy balance rather than an emissions figure. On FY 2025 treated water use of 67,085 million gallons, its energy use works out to about 1,092 kWh equivalents per million gallons.
The report examines how much generation Denver Water can claim once contracted hydropower is set aside, which projects close the gap to 2030, how the drought affects the plan and which indicators the Board should track. The full report, Net-Zero Water Utility Transition: Denver Water, is available for USD 499 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/net-zero-water-utility-transition-denver-water. For a free overview, read the Denver Water Utility Snapshot at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/utilities/denver-water.