Colorado lawmakers are poised to extend the life of a coal plant three years beyond a state-mandated retirement deadline — a backtrack that underscores Colorado’s growing tension between climate goals and energy affordability.
Under state law, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) was required to shutter the Ray Nixon Power Plant by the end of 2029, part of the state’s effort to fully move away from coal power by 2031 and run a 100 percent renewable energy grid by 2040.
But the process of replacing the plant with renewable sources has proven more expensive and time-consuming than anticipated, and CSU has warned that sticking to the 2029 date could risk raising costs on ratepayers.
A compromise bill on the Senate floor this week would allow the utility to keep the plant open until the end of 2032. As part of an agreement with Democratic Gov. Jared Polis — who signed the state’s emissions goals into law — the utility will craft a plan to reduce 95 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2040.
