Overview
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued a Dec. 30 order directing the 446‑MW coal unit to remain available through March 2026 with an option to extend.
- Craig Unit 1 has been offline since Dec. 19 due to a valve failure, and owners were told to operate the unit at the direction of WAPA or SPP West if called upon.
- Tri-State and co-owners are evaluating repairs and operational feasibility, with Tri-State stating its members will likely bear compliance costs absent a regional cost-sharing mechanism.
- Grid Strategies estimates roughly $21 million to run the unit for 90 days, while Gov. Jared Polis says repairing and operating the plant could cost about $85 million for Colorado ratepayers.
- The action follows a string of 90-day orders that delayed six plant retirements totaling about 4,300 MW, even as Colorado regulators previously concluded Craig’s closure would not harm reliability and states have filed lawsuits challenging DOE’s authority.