The transition from fossil-fuel generated electricity to renewables is proving tricky for Colorado’s largest utility.
Comanche 3
Posted inBusiness
The coal-fired power plant in Pueblo is seen as so unreliable one of its co-op owners wants out
CORE Electric says outages at the Pueblo plant increased the cost of electricity for 172,000 suburban and rural Colorado customers.
Posted inNews
Coroner identified two men killed in coal slide at Pueblo power plant
Two men who died after they were buried in a coal slide at a Colorado electricity generating plant last week have been identified. The Pueblo County Coroner said that Kyle Bussey, 28, of Pueblo and Philip Roberts, 36, of Cañon City died in the accident Thursday at the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, The Denver […]
Posted inNews
Two workers found dead after being trapped under 80 feet of coal at Pueblo power plant
Emergency crews found the bodies of two workers hours after they became trapped under 80 feet of coal at the Comanche 3 power plant south of Pueblo, officials said Thursday. The bodies of the victims, who were subcontractors for Xcel Energy, were found at about 3 p.m. after the coal pile collapsed earlier Thursday, Pueblo […]
Posted inEnvironment, News
Xcel Energy agrees to close Pueblo’s Comanche 3 coal plant by 2031
Xcel Energy, under prodding from environmental groups and state regulators, is offering to close its Comanche 3 power plant — the largest coal-fired unit in Colorado — by 2031, putting an end to coal-fired electricity in the state. The $1 billion Comanche 3 unit, in Pueblo, went online in 2010 boasting advanced supercritical pulverized coal […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: 12 years is too long to let the Comanche 3 coal-fired electricity plant keep running
As mayors who represent Coloradans in Xcel Energy’s service territory, we urge the Public Utilities Commission to reconsider Xcel’s settlement decision that would keep the state’s largest climate-polluting coal plant open until 2035, and instead ensure that the coal plant is replaced by cleaner, more affordable electricity before 2030. The climate crisis weighs heavy on […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado rejects Xcel Energy’s attempt to extend the life of Pueblo’s coal plant by 12 more years
An agreement that would have locked in 12 more years of life for Xcel Energy’s troubled Comanche 3 coal-fired power plant was rejected by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Monday. All three commissioners voiced opposition to the deal, citing concerns over the plant’s reliability, the fact that early closure might be cheaper for consumers […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News
Xcel promises to speed closure of coal-fired Comanche 3 electric plant. Environmental groups are unsatisfied.
Xcel Energy has agreed to accelerate the closure of its coal-fired Comanche 3 power plant by five years to 2035 as part of a settlement, supported by state, local and union officials, but opposed by environmental groups. Comanche 3 in Pueblo, one of the largest remaining coal-fired power plants in the West, has been a […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Closing a coal-fired power plant in Pueblo to meet Colorado climate goals is easier said than done
This much is certain: Comanche 3 — Xcel Energy’s $1.3 billion coal-fired power plant in Pueblo — is going to close. When and how are now issues of intense debate before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The fate of the plant — the state’s largest single emitter of carbon dioxide — is key to Colorado […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Cost of wholesale electricity nearly doubled for Colorado co-op suing Xcel Energy, its partner in Comanche 3
A suburban Front Range electric cooperative is suing Xcel Energy, seeking millions of dollars for breach of contract and mismanagement of the Comanche 3 power plant, of which the two companies share ownership. CORE Electric Cooperative is seeking damages for repairs to the damaged plant it was forced to pay for and for the extra […]