US EditionTrump’s ’Emergency’ Colorado Coal Plant Order Will Raise Electricity Costs, Operator Says
DOE cites resource adequacy concerns for postponing retirement of Craig Generating Station Unit 1, which will increase costs for customers, estimated at $20 million over 90 days by Sierra Club.
- On Dec. 30, the Department of Energy issued a five-page emergency order signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright requiring Craig Generating Station Unit 1 to remain available until March 30, 2026.
- The DOE justified the move by citing 'growing resource adequacy concerns' as Craig Unit 1, scheduled to retire on Dec. 31, 2025, was already offline after a Dec. 19, 2025, mechanical failure.
- Critics say repeated 90-day renewals could raise costs to $150 million annually, with Grid Strategies estimating $85 million per year and Sierra Club at least $20 million for 90 days.
- Tri-State said its membership will shoulder compliance costs unless cost-sharing is found, and Duane Highley, Tri-State CEO, said the co-op is reviewing implications for employees and operations.
- Critics argue the move is part of a pattern using Section 202 to keep fossil plants online, citing orders for Eddystone, Culley, Schahfer, J.H. Campbell, and delays of wind and solar projects.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Donald Trump Illegally Extends Life of the Coal-Fired Craig Unit 1, Driving Up Electricity Bills and Increasing Pollution - CleanTechnica
DENVER — [On Tuesday], the Trump administration issued an “emergency” order to force utilities to operate Craig Unit 1 against their will, past the Dec. 31 retirement deadline that the utilities had decided upon and their state regulators had approved. Trump’s actions to prop up an uneconomic coal plant will drive ... [continued] The post Donald Trump Illegally Extends Life of the Coal-Fired Craig Unit 1, Driving Up Electricity Bills and Increas…
Colorado Newsline
Trump’s ’emergency’ Colorado coal plant order will raise electricity costs, operator says
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright testifies during his Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)Following the Trump administration’s last-minute invocation of an energy “emergency” to order a Colorado coal plant to postpone its scheduled retirement, the electricity provider that co-owns the…
Donald Trump Illegally Extends Life of the Coal-Fired Craig Unit 1, Driving Up Electricity Bills and Increasing Pollution
DENVER - [On Tuesday], the Trump administration issued an "emergency" order to force utilities to operate Craig Unit 1 against their will, past the Dec. 31 retirement deadline that the utilities had decided upon and their state regulators had approved. Trump's actions to prop up an uneconomic coal plant will drive ... [continued] The post Donald Trump Illegally Extends Life of the Coal-Fired Craig Unit 1, Driving Up Electricity Bills and Increas…
Oh, the irony of Craig No. 1! — Allen Best (BigPivots.com) #coal
Craig Station. Photo credit: Allen Best/Big Pivots Click the link to read the article on the Big Pivots website (Allen Best): December 31, 2025 Trump orders Craig coal unit planned for retirement to stay open. But it so happens the unit is broken. Ludicrous says Polis team. Sierra Club challenges basis for emergency declaration. It was no surprise. Tri-State Generation and Transmission has said for at least three months that it expected to get …
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