Xcel’s Transition Plans
In 2022, after years of persistent advocacy, Pueblo-based organizers with Mothers Out Front, along with partner organizations, local governments, and labor groups, reached an agreement to retire Xcel’s Comanche 3 coal plant by 2031—decades ahead of its originally scheduled closure. This was a major victory for Pueblo and its residents but the battle for clean air and a just transition was far from over.
Xcel, Colorado’s largest utility, must determine a plan to replace the energy currently produced by the C3 plant and add additional power to account for future energy needs for the state. This transition plan, from coal to new energy sources, is an opportunity for Xcel to embrace clean, renewable energy and a just worker transition.
On October 15, Xcel submitted their plan—called a Just Transition Solicitation portfolio—to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the regulatory body that will eventually approve a final plan for the utility. Their initial plan includes several scenarios that consider different rates of growth as well as the potential for false solutions to be added to the mix - mainly nuclear power and hydrogen blending with fossil gas.
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Xcel plans to replace the majority of its current energy load and future needs with solar and wind energy. They are also committing to supporting workforce training and development.
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While the majority of their plans are focused on renewable energy, they do include plans for some new gas generation. The city of Pueblo does not deserve a gas plant that will continue polluting air and water and harming its residents.
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Perhaps the worst part of Xcel’s plan is that it keeps the door open for customers having to pay for so-called “advanced tech” like nuclear and hydrogen in future years. These technologies are false solutions - costly, untested, unreliable, and dangerous.
To fund the development of these false solutions, Xcel has proposed a 100 million dollar fund paid for by ratepayers.