Xcel gets green light from Colorado for $2.5 billion clean energy plan

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Monday approved a $2.5 billion plan by Xcel Energy to close coal-fired power plants and add a hefty dose of wind and solar generation so that 55 percent of the utility’s electricity will come from clean energy by 2026.

Xcel, Colorado’s largest electricity provider with 3.2 million customers, got the OK from regulators to close two units at its Comanche Station plant in Pueblo 10 years ahead of schedule as part of its Colorado Energy Plan.

The units, with a total of 660 megawatts, will be closed by 2026. A third Comanche unit will continue to operate.

Switching from coal-fired electricity to cheaper wind and solar will save customers around $200 million by 2054, according to company and Public Utilities Commission estimates.

Read more: https://gazette.com/state-politics/xcel-gets-green-light-from-colorado-for-billion-clean-energy/article_c2078604-aa53-11e8-a0cd-7f990041a45e.html