In a move that will greatly affect northwestern Colorado’s people and economy, Tri-State Generation and Transmission announced Thursday the retirement of their 3 remaining coal generation facilities. According to the press release, Craig Station and Colowyo Mine in northwestern Colorado will be closed by the year 2030 and their New Mexico coal-fired power plant by the end of 2020. This will impact approximately 600 power plant and mine employees. The decision to close all coal facilities is part of their ‘Responsible Energy Plan’ which they announced was in development last July and which is expected to be shared with the public next week. Craig Station, located in Moffat County, began operations in 1979 under the Colorado Ute Electric Association. Tri-State acquired Craig Station in 1992 and the power plant presently employs 253 people. Colowyo Mine, located in Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties, was purchased from Rio Tinto in 2011 and currently employs 219 people. “With ten years until the closure of Craig Station and Colowyo Mine, we have additional time to work with the legislature, our employees and the communities in Moffat and Rio Blanco counties to plan for and support the transition,” shares Tri-State CEO Duane Highley. “Our work starts now to ensure we can continue to safely produce power while working with stakeholders to thoughtfully plan for the future.” To read the full press release, visit www.tristategt.org.
