Trump Administration Extends Craig Coal Plant Operations Over Grid Reliability Concerns

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado

The tug of war over energy production between several states and the federal government continued Friday when the U.S. Department of Energy renewed an emergency order to keep a Colorado coal-fired power plant operating months after it was scheduled to shut down during a transition to clean energy sources. 

The DOE first ordered Unit 1 of the Craig Generating Station in northwest Colorado to remain operational in December of 2025. It did so two more times in 2026 to keep it running, and then again Friday. 

The most recent order directs the six utilities that co-own and operate the facility — Tri-State Generation and Transmission (primary operator), Platte River Power Authority, PacifiCorp, Xcel Energy, Salt River Project, and Southwest Power Pool — to continue Unit 1’s power generation through the end of the year. 

Colorado belongs in a northwest power region which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. In the most recent DOE order, Energy Secretary Chris Wright cited a 2024 long-term reliability assessment.

That report claimed “‘[e]nergy variability is greater in the Northwest” than other regions “due to the large share of wind and hydro in the portfolio.'” Supply chain issues have delayed the construction of battery energy storage systems key to the reliability of those alternative energy sources, according to the report that Wright cited. 

Meanwhile, electricity demands continue to rise, Wright explained. The NERC’s 2026 State Of Reliability report, which Wright also referenced, found large load growth is increasing the system’s vulnerability: “[D]ata center and computational loads continued emerging as a major reliability consideration due to their scale, speed of development, and unique operational characteristics.”  

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