Colorado Springs Utilities Sets Early Closure Date for Coal Plants

Colorado Springs, CO -- Today, in a 7-2 vote, the Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) Board voted to accelerate the closure timeline for its two coal plants. Martin Drake -- one of the nation’s last urban coal plants -- will now close by 2023 and Ray Nixon will close by 2030. As part of its 2020 Electric Resource Plan (ERP), CSU will replace its 416 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired power with 500MW of new wind energy, 150 MW of solar power, and over 400MW of battery storage in order to ensure modern and reliable energy for Colorado Springs. CSU leadership has promised that no employees will lose their jobs in the utility's energy transition. 

“Today’s announcement is a victory for our community and our environment: As a mother who became an activist to protect the air my asthmatic children breath from toxic pollutants, I am relieved that our utility is shuttering Drake and Nixon within the next decade,” said Lindsay Facknitz, an activist with the local Sierra Club group. 

The 500MW of new wind power will be Colorado Springs’ first investment in the cheapest form of energy in the state. A 2019 analysis by Strategen found that retiring both Drake and Nixon by 2023 and replacing them with wind would save customers $160 million. Clean energy is also one of the biggest job creators in Colorado; in 2018, the state’s clean energy jobs increased by 4 percent, compared to overall job growth of 2.4 percent. 

“The most sustainable way for Colorado Springs to modernize our power is through renewable energy and storage,” said Carole Huber, Senior Instructor Emerita in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs. “By letting go of coal and avoiding new fossil fuels, our city has taken a first step towards a more energy efficient future that provides our residents with reliable and affordable electricity while helping to combat climate change." 

“Earlier this year, Colorado College met its carbon neutrality goals and other Colorado communities are doing their part to reduce emissions and combat climate change. This new energy plan is Colorado Springs doing it's part too,” said Westly Joseph, a student leader with Colorado College’s Office of Sustainability. “It is our city leaders' responsibility to ensure that my generation has a safe future here in Colorado Springs. We need a clean energy future and now Colorado Springs is on the path to get there.”

“Our community will be safer without more fossil fuels. History tells us that low income communities and communities of color disproportionately bear the burden of ugly, toxic power plants in their neighborhoods. But this form of injustice is coming to an end in Colorado Springs,” said Amy Gray, Volunteer & JEDI Director at 350 Colorado Springs. “We can put our community’s health first while also ensuring we have safe, reliable energy.