Energy Department Orders Colorado's Craig Station Unit 1 to Stay Available Until March 30, 2026
The U.S. Department of Energy on December 30, 2025 issued Emergency Order No. 202-25-14 requiring Unit 1 of the Craig Station in the city of Craig, Moffat County, Colorado, to remain available to operate beyond its planned retirement, through March 30, 2026. The 446.4-megawatt coal-fired unit is operated by the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association.
In the order, the Department determined that an emergency exists within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council Northwest assessment area due to a shortage of electric energy and a shortage of generation facilities, and issued the order under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act. Effective at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on December 30, 2025 and expiring at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on March 30, 2026, the order directs Tri-State and the co-owners, Platte River Power Authority, Salt River Project, PacifiCorp and Xcel Energy, in coordination with the Western Area Power Administration Rocky Mountain Region and Southwest Power Pool West, to take all measures necessary to ensure the unit is available to operate.
Craig Station has three units in all: Unit 2 is also rated at 446.4 megawatts and Unit 3 at 534.8 megawatts, and both are slated to retire in 2028, while Unit 1 had been scheduled to cease operations in December 2025. The order also directs Tri-State to provide the Department with information about the unit by January 20, 2026, and provides that Unit 1 shall not be considered a capacity resource during the emergency period.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国能源部总部福雷斯特尔大楼（资料照片）。Tim Evanson 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons；联邦固定图库同源图。 / Photo: The James Forrestal Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington (file photo). By Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; federal fixed image library image.
