USA, Colorado, Craig: The US Department of Energy has issued a new emergency order requiring Unit 1 at Colorado’s Craig Station to remain available to operate through 25 December 2026.
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association had planned to retire the coal-fired unit at the end of 2025. DOE has issued a series of orders since then requiring the plant to remain available, citing reliability risks in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council’s Rocky Mountain region. Under the latest order, Southwest Power Pool is directed to dispatch the unit only when necessary to address the stated emergency and to minimise costs to ratepayers.
The continued operation of Craig Unit 1 has faced legal challenges from the plant’s owners and environmental groups.
Earlier in September, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit invalidated a separate DOE emergency order that had required Michigan’s J.H. Campbell coal plant to remain operational. The court found that DOE had exceeded the emergency authority provided under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act in that case.
The Craig order remains in effect from 27 September through 25 December 2026.
Source: The Colorado Sun
