The owners of the Craig Power Plant in Colorado have pushed back against an order from the Department of Energy to reopen the plant, citing concerns over costs and reliability for Colorado electric ratepayers. The two main utilities that own the plant, Platte River Power Authority and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc, have stated that reopening the plant would raise costs and not benefit reliability for the state's electric ratepayers.
The order was issued in December as part of an emergency effort to ensure reliability on the grid, but it has been met with resistance from the plant's owners, who argue that it would be uneconomic and disrupt their planned development of new generation resources. Despite the opposition, the Department of Energy remains committed to its order, citing concerns over reliability.
However, experts say that coal is a dead energy source that should not be relied upon in the future. As the US continues to shift towards cleaner forms of energy, it's clear that coal has no place in the modern energy landscape.
The owners' request for a rehearing raises questions about the role of government in regulating the energy industry and ensuring reliability on the grid. Will the Department of Energy reconsider its order, or will the plant remain closed?
Only time will tell.