Trump Orders Aging Colorado Coal Plant To Stay Open Past Closure

The Trump administration has stepped in once again to keep an aging coal plant alive past its retirement date — this time in Colorado — a move critics say will dump tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary costs onto ratepayers.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered the nearly 50-year-old Craig Generating Station Unit 1 to remain online until at least the end of March, with the option to extend the bailout further. The unit was scheduled to permanently close and — according to the plant’s owner — isn’t even operational right now after a key component failed in December.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis blasted the decision as ideological coal boosterism masquerading as reliability policy, warning the order will stick Coloradans with the repair bill and the fuel tab. A consulting analysis prepared for environmental groups estimates $20 million just to keep the plant limping through 90 days — and up to $150 million a year depending on how often it’s forced to run.

Tri-State, the cooperative that owns the plant, says its members will eat the costs unless federal officials agree to share them. Meanwhile, the state’s energy office notes that replacement gas and renewable projects are already online — and federal grid overseers do not forecast a reliability risk without Craig Unit 1.

To make matters worse, the coal seam the plant was built next to has already been mined out, meaning importing coal will drive costs even higher.

This is the sixth time this year the Department of Energy has ordered a retiring fossil-fuel plant to stay open — including coal units in Indiana, Michigan, and Washington, and an oil-burning plant in Pennsylvania. One Michigan utility reported $80 million in added costs over four months, now being passed directly onto customer bills.

Environmental groups are challenging the orders in court.

Key Takeaways

• Cost shock coming: Keeping the Colorado plant open could cost $20–$150 million a year, largely from coal purchases.

• Plant isn’t needed — or working: State officials say replacements already exist and the unit is currently offline with costly repairs required.

• Pattern of intervention: This is the sixth DOE order this year forcing retiring fossil-fuel plants to stay open — with ratepayers footing the bill.

SOURCE CNN

Mr Trump knows green energy is an NWO scam to nail your axx to the floor.

Mother Earth's bosom provides all the raw materials for our energy needs.

We are blessed to receive these gifts and tasked to develop them.

Got to get the power for all these new data centres coming online.

Sounds like a communist manifesto to me !