Trump Administration Mitigates Blackout Risks by Keeping Colorado Coal Plant Online

WASHINGTON-U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today issued an emergency order to keep a Colorado coal plant operational to ensure Americans maintain access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity. The order directs Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State), Southwest Power Pool (SPP), Platte River Power Authority, Salt River Project, PacifiCorp, and Public Service Company of Colorado to take all measures necessary to ensure that Unit 1 at the Craig Station in Craig, Colorado is available to operate. For the duration of this Order, SPP is directed to take every step to employ economic dispatch of Craig Unit 1 to mitigate the risk of blackouts and minimize costs to taxpayers.

Unit 1 of the coal plant was originally scheduled to shut down at the end of 2025, but in December 2025 and twice in 2026, Secretary Wright issued emergency orders directing Tri-State and the co-owners to ensure that Craig Unit 1 remains available to operate.

"For over the past decade, state and federal leaders have harmed Coloradans' wallets and energy security with efforts to force reliable generation off the grid," said Secretary Wright. "The Trump Administration will continue taking action to ensure we don't lose critical generation sources. Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power their homes all the time, regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining."

Thanks to President Trump's leadership, coal generating plants across the country are being saved from premature retirement. For example, since 2025 more than 17 gigawatts of coal power electricity generation were saved from going offline.

The availability of Craig Unit 1 to operate will continue to be an asset to maintain reliability in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) Rocky Mountain region and is necessary to address elevated reliability risks in the region during atypical weather and reduce the risk of power outages that could threaten public health and safety.

This order is in effect beginning on September 27, 2026, through December 25, 2026.