PUEBLO — Pueblo County Commissioners have unanimously approved an agreement with Xcel Energy to close the Comanche 3 power plant a decade early.
The plant will now close on December 31, 2031, essentially ending the use of coal-generated electricity in Colorado.
Xcel Energy has agreed to continue to make property tax payments to the county until December 31, 2040, which was the original closure date.
Commission Chair Garrison Ortiz said it avoids a major tax revenue shortfall that would have impacted the city, the library district, and local school districts.
Commissioners called it a "reasonable settlement", which also states that the tax payment to the county from Xcel could be reduced, if the county establishes an energy replacement for the power plant before 2040.
The county continues to pursue alternative energy sources, including more renewable energy.
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