Xcel Says It Can’t Shut Down its Coal Plants by 2030. Believe Them.
Xcel Energy’s March 2 filing with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) reads like a company trying to get ahead of a crisis. On paper, it might be just a simple status update about Comanche Unit 3, a coal-fired plant near Pueblo, which is undergoing repairs. Instead, Xcel sounds the alarm about grid reliability. According […]
How Colorado’s Grid Fared During Winter Storm Fern
By Sarah Montalbano Winter Storm Fern brought more than snow and ice to Colorado last month. It brought data that state policymakers should find uncomfortable: thermal resources provided 85 percent of Xcel Energy’s electricity when residents needed it most. Energy Information Administration data shows that on January 24, 2026, Xcel Energy in Colorado generated 66 percent of its […]
The Big Short(fall): Colorado’s Upcoming Power Plant Closures and Planned Replacements
By Ethan Cornell* Introduction The data summarizing planned generation closures in Colorado signals a rapid and profound infrastructural transformation. The schedule details the planned retirement of 10 major coal-fired units between 2025 and 2031, collectively representing a loss of nearly 4,200 megawatts (MW) of nameplate capacity. The primary policy question this raises is whether the […]
Jake Fogleman Talks Natural Gas Saving Colorado’s Grid, Nuclear Energy on the Mandy Connell Show
Policy analyst Jake Fogleman joined the Mandy Connell Show on 850 KOA to talk about his article on Colorado’s dunkelflaute episode that saw fossil fuels save the stability of Colorado’s electric grid. They also discuss the pros and cons of nuclear power and why the state’s policymakers would be wise to consider championing it if they […]
Fossil Fuels Bail Out Colorado’s Grid Yet Again
Coloradans might want to begin brushing up on their German. At least enough to be familiar with the word Dunkelflaute, which roughly translates to “dark doldrums.” The term describes a weather pattern of low wind and limited sunlight that makes generating electricity from renewables nearly impossible. The event is relatively common in northern and western Europe during […]
EIA: Coal Still King in Colorado
Colorado often fancies itself as a leader in the so-called clean energy transition. And in some ways it has earned that reputation. The state became the first in the nation to enact a renewable portfolio standard by citizen’s initiative, for example, all the way back in 2004. And the Colorado General Assembly routinely passes new […]
Polis and Ganahl Spar Over Colorado Energy Policy
A conflict of visions was on display last night at the Colorado gubernatorial debate hosted by the Colorado Springs Gazette. That conflict was readily apparent during the discussion of energy issues facing Colorado. The section on energy runs from 39:48-45:12. Some highlights: -Republican candidate Ganahl called for encouraging local oil and gas production which she said […]
Fudging the Numbers: How Colorado Policymakers Mislead on Energy Costs
An increasingly common theme of the energy policy debate here in Colorado, particularly among renewables advocates, is the trumpeting of cost statistics purporting to show the affordability benefits of transitioning to wind and solar over legacy fossil fuel plants. Take, for instance, a recent statement made by Governor Jared Polis during a gubernatorial debate late […]
New DOE Study Finds 5 Coal Plant Sites in Colorado That Could Convert to Nuclear
A brand new study released today from the Department of Energy (DOE) finds multiple locations in Colorado that could benefit from a coal-to-nuclear power transition. The study authors examined both operational and recently retired (within the last 10 years) coal plants across the country to screen for siting characteristics deemed favorable for a nuclear conversion. […]
Gas is Dead. Long Live Gas!
Natural gas is one of the go-to bogeymen for many climate hawks. This is despite the remarkable economic and climate contributions of natural gas over the last decade or so. As such, activists and policymakers have made a concerted effort over the last few years to begin constraining the industry and phasing out the fuel’s […]
GOVERNOR POLIS, HERE WE COME!
GOVERNOR POLIS, HERE WE COME! One more NAUGHTY POLITICIAN is getting a lump of coal for Christmas! Literally, in the truest sense! Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser will receive some furnace ready coal just in time for winter! Colorado Gives Day is almost over, but we aren’t done yet! Yes, we have raised more than […]
The ‘War On Coal’ threatens a sleepy Colorado mining town
(Craig Station, Moffat County, Colorado. Photo: Michael Sandoval) CRAIG, Colo. — Coal, from extraction to use as a generation source, forms the literal bedrock of Craig. (Welcome to Craig. Photo: Michael Sandoval) The past few years have shaken the once quiet town, as an onslaught of federal government regulations and actions by environmental activists bent […]
