In the Greeley Tribune, Judith Kohler reports that Xcel Energy has asked the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to let the Comanche 2 coal unit in Pueblo keep operating through 2026. The outlet notes the 335 megawatt unit was slated to close at the end of this year, but Xcel says it needs the power to meet demand while the larger Comanche 3 unit remains offline. The author is Judith Kohler.
According to the report, Comanche 3, a 750 megawatt unit, has been down since mid August after a malfunction and might not return until June. Xcel says the extension would help avoid pricey spot market purchases and protect reliability. The petition was signed by PUC staff, the Colorado Energy Office, and the Utility Consumer Advocate. Xcel is also trying to fast track up to 4,000 megawatts of new renewables, but the company does not expect those projects online until after 2027, citing supply chain delays. Comanche 3 has a troubled history and is set to retire by the end of 2030. One of the station’s three units already closed in 2022.
The Bullet Point Brief
• The ask. Keep Comanche 2 running through 2026 to cover demand while Comanche 3 is down and to stabilize reliability and prices.
• The outage. Comanche 3 has been offline since mid August and could be out until June, taking 750 megawatts off the grid.
• The sign offs. PUC staff, the Colorado Energy Office, and the Utility Consumer Advocate joined Xcel’s petition.
• The timing gap. Up to 4,000 megawatts of renewables are being fast tracked, but Xcel does not expect them online until after 2027.
• The backdrop. One Comanche unit retired in 2022, Comanche 3 retires by 2030, and supply chain delays are real.
My Bottom Line
No surprise here. When you mandate aggressive timelines without matching steel-in-the-ground replacements, you get a reliability gap. Xcel’s request is the adult move. Approve it, keep the lights on, and spare ratepayers the roulette of spot market power and rolling brownouts.
Colorado needs honest math, not virtue points. Data centers and a growing electrified economy are not wish lists. They are gigawatts on a deadline. Until new generation and transmission are actually delivering power, do not pull firm baseload before the replacements arrive. Reliability first, politics later.
Source: Greeley Tribune
Polis and Excel have set up Colorado for failure in many aspects and energy is a big one. We have an abundance of energy sources in this state and polis and his thugs have force fed Coloradans the “green” energy scam. Colorado needs affordable, reliable energy. Focused on false narratives and unachievable deadlines, wind and solar will continue to prove expensive and unreliable compared to fossil fuels and nuclear. The scar left by Polis will remain for decades to come.