COLORADO SPRINGS – The Colorado Springs Utilities Board has committed to closing the coal-fired portions of a downtown power plant by 2023 – 12 years earlier than previous planned – and investing heavily in renewable energy in the coming decades.
The Gazette reported Friday the board, made up of the same members as the city council, supported shutting down the coal-fired generators at the Martin Drake Power Plant because it’s no longer economical to run them.
The old generators will be replaced with natural gas generators, and workers will be moved into other positions. No layoffs are expected.
The utilities board is making plans to dismantle the power plant completely between 2024 and 2025, if not sooner. The future uses of the site are yet to be determined, but utilities board chairwoman Jill Gaebler says, “Almost anything would be better than a coal power plant.”
The city’s energy plan is expected to achieve 80% carbon reduction by 2030, as called for under new state rules; and sets a course for 90% renewable energy generation by 2050.
