The U.S. Department of Energy has issued an emergency order requiring that Unit 1 at the Craig Station coal plant in northwestern Colorado remain available to operate through June 28, 2026.
The unit, co owned by Tri State Generation and Transmission Association and other utilities, had been scheduled to retire at the end of 2025. A prior DOE order in late December delayed that shutdown. The new order extends the requirement that the unit remain operationally ready for dispatch.
This is only the latest headline in a long-running debate over the future of the Craig Station and, indeed, the future of coal in the U.S.
The directive applies to Tri State, Platte River Power Authority, Salt River Project, PacifiCorp, and Public Service Company of Colorado, in coordination with the Western Area Power Administration and Southwest Power Pool.
The order does not require the unit to run continuously, but requires that it be maintained in a condition that allows it to generate power if needed.
The timing coincides with the expansion of Southwest Power Pool’s western market footprint, which will begin dispatching generation across parts of the region starting April 1.
