U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on June 26 issued an emergency order that directs Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Platte River Power Authority, Salt River Project, PacifiCorp, and Public Service Company of Colorado, to take all measures necessary to ensure that Craig Unit 1 is available to operate at the direction of the Southwest Power Pool.
For the duration of this Order, SPP is directed to take every step to employ economic dispatch of Craig Unit 1 in Colorado to minimize costs to ratepayers. Craig Unit 1’s capacity is 427 megawatts.
Unit 1 of the coal plant was originally scheduled to shut down at the end of 2025, but in December 2025 and again in March 2026, Secretary Wright issued emergency orders directing Tri-State and the co-owners to ensure that Unit 1 at the Craig Station remains available to operate.
This order is in effect beginning on June 29, 2026, through September 26, 2026.
