From coal to nuclear: Colorado faces its energy future
A Colorado advisory panel created by Xcel Energy recommended the company consider replacing its Comanche Station Unit 3 coal plant with cleaner options, particularly advanced nuclear.
The Pueblo Innovative Energy Solutions Advisory Committee (PIESAC) was assembled to study and make recommendations on future plans for the Comanche Generating Station, located in Pueblo, Colorado. The 11-member committee released its recommendations in a new report .
The committee suggested extending the life of the existing plant not to 2031, but to 2034, in order to replace the plant with a solution linked to advanced and much more flexible nuclear energy, through the introduction of advanced modular reactors. The alternative to this technology could be a continuous cycle with carbon capture which however would provide fewer fiscal and employment benefits.
According to the commission, a combined-cycle plant with carbon dioxide capture would generate 20 to 25 jobs, as well as tax payments of about $16.5 million a year. But an advanced nuclear plant could potentially provide 200 to 300 jobs and tax payments of $95.29 million a year.
“Of all the technologies we have studied, only advanced nuclear generation will make Pueblo whole and even provide a path to prosperity,” the commission said in the report.
The report also highlighted the potential economic impact of closing the coal plant. More than $15 million of the $25 million in taxes paid annually by Xcel Energy to Pueblo comes from Comanche 3. The committee estimated that closing Comanche 3 in 2031 instead of the originally planned date of 2070 will result in the loss of $845 million tax dollars for Pueblo. A value that must be considered when evaluating the investments to be made.
Xcel's Clean Energy Plan, approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in 2022, aims to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 85% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels and provide Colorado customers with 80% sourced electricity from renewable sources. To achieve these goals, Xcel has planned to retire several coal-fired plants, including Comanche Station Unit 3.
The report estimates that closing the Comanche 3 plant will result in a 36.8 percent reduction in Xcel emissions and a 20.5 percent reduction in electricity sector emissions nationwide compared to 2005 levels.
Comanche Station covers approximately 280 acres and includes three coal-fired generating units. The Comanche plant had three coal-fired generating units: Comanche 1 closed in 2022 and Comanche 2 will close in 2025
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The article From coal to nuclear: Colorado faces its energy future comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/dal-carbone-al-nucleare-il-colorado-fa-i-conti-con-il-proprio-futuro-energetico/ on Tue, 09 Jan 2024 15:33:16 +0000.