THORNTON, Colorado — Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday that his agency is in “dialogue” with a local utility about how to handle the costs of a coal power unit his department has forced to stay online.
Wright acknowledged there is still no agreement over the cost allocation for a unit of the Craig Generating Station, a Colorado coal plant partially run by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. His comments came just days after the Trump administration once again postponed the unit’s retirement.
The utility has previously objected to the Energy Department’s orders forcing one unit of the Craig Generating Station to remain open past its planned 2025 retirement. An extension of that order Friday will keep Craig open through Sept. 26, a move the Trump White House says is necessary to maintain reliability on the grid.
Right now, Tri-State and its consumers are paying for the extension — along with unit’s other owners — but Tri-State wants to change that arrangement.
