Proposed legislation supported by Xcel Energy calls for replacing or re trofitting a number of coal-fired power plants in the state by the end of 2017.
The Colorado Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act would require Xcel to use natural gas or other lower-emitting energy resources at its Front Range plants, according to a news release from Gov. Bill Ritter’s office.
The plan was agreed on by Ritter, Xcel and a coalition of lawmakers, energy firms and environmentalists.
Plants most likely to be affected include the Valmont generating station in Boulder, the Cherokee station in north Denver and the Pawnee station in Brush.
Under the proposal, Xcel would have until Aug. 15 to submit its plans to the Public Utilities Commission to reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions at coal plants by up to 80 percent over the next eight years.
“Xcel Energy supports proposed legislation to establish a comprehensive process for addressing more stringent current and future federal Clean Air Act requirements,” said David Eves, president and chief executive of Public Service Company of Colorado, Xcel’s operating unit in the state. “The company is optimistic that any final legislative proposal would focus on meeting these requirements in a fashion that is cost-effective for consumers and ensures ongoing system reliability.”
The company’s plan would include an evaluation of retiring or retrofitting 900 megawatts of coal-fired capacity at metro-area power plants.
Xcel is capable of producing or purchasing 7,800 megawatts. One megawatt serves about 750 homes.
The proposal is a blow to the coal industry, said Stuart Sanderson, president of the Colorado Mining Association.
“It’s an energy poverty agenda that would eliminate permanently the most affordable and abundant source of energy in Colorado,” Sanderson said. “(That) is not in the state’s best interests, it’s not in the best interests of the employees who work in the industry, and it’s not in the best interest of the consumer.”
However, people in the environmental and public-health arenas are excited about the proposal, which they say would help reduce haze throughout the region and reduce mercury levels in lakes and rivers.
“Colorado’s air, especially here on the Front Range, is going to be cleaner,” said John Nielson, energy program director of Western Resource Advocates. “It’s going to save on health care costs, and it’s the next step toward moving us down the path to a clean-energy economy.”
Xcel is Colorado’s largest utility.
Margaret Jackson: 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com
