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LCG, November 12, 2025--LCG Consulting is excited to announce the release of the MISO 2034 Data Model, built from the latest MISO Transmission Expansion Plan (MTEP). This powerful, nodal-level data model offers a forward-looking view of generation, transmission, and load forecasts across the MISO region—empowering energy professionals to explore the grid of the future with confidence.
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LCG, November 12, 2025--Xcel Energy, together with the Utility Consumer Advocate (UCA), Colorado Energy Office (CEO), and Trial Staff of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), filed a petition on November 10 requesting Commission approval to keep Comanche Generating Station Unit 2 available for up to one additional year after its currently planned retirement on December 31, 2025.
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Industry News
Xcel Energy and "Allies" Request Retirement Extension for Comanche Generating Station Unit 2
LCG, November 12, 2025--Xcel Energy, together with the Utility Consumer Advocate (UCA), Colorado Energy Office (CEO), and Trial Staff of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), filed a petition on November 10 requesting Commission approval to keep Comanche Generating Station Unit 2 available for up to one additional year after its currently planned retirement on December 31, 2025.
The Comanche Generating Station, located in Pueblo, Colorado, includes three coal-fired units. With a goal of reducing long-term emissions, scheduled retirement dates for each coal-fired unit were previously approved by the PUC. Unit 1, a 382-MW subcritical unit, started operations in 1973 and was retired in 2022. Unit 2, a 396-MW subcritical unit, started operations in 1975 and is scheduled to retire on December 31, 2025. Unit 3, a 857-MW supercritical unit, started operations in 2010 and is scheduled to retire on January 1, 2031.
Unit 3, the largest and newest of the units at Comanche Generating Station, experienced an unexpected outage on August 12, 2025, and the plant remains offline. In October, Xcel notified the PUC and the UCA that Unit 3 was extensively damaged and that Xcel expects it to remain offline until June 2026. The cause of the outage, the steps necessary to repair it, and the costs are unknown at this time.
The recent November 2025 petition is a direct response to the unexpected outage of Unit 3. Xcel and its allies filing the petition expect increasing peak and other load growth across Xcel’s service territory. Xcel's new forecasts of future demand have made the unexpected and long term outage of Colorado’s largest coal plant less acceptable, especially given potential resource needs in the summer of 2026. In addition to supply and reliability concerns, Xcel believes that greater market purchases to offset the loss of Unit 3 may be expensive and volatile, especially during high-use times, such as winter cold spells, which can lead to gas price spikes.
The November petition seeks PUC approval to allow Xcel to operate Unit 2, if needed, particularly while Unit 3 is offline but no later than December 31, 2026. Procedurally this means that the PUC would need to grant a variance from its 2018 decision setting the December 31, 2025 Unit 2 retirement date.
Commissioners are now expected to open a proceeding and set a schedule for its deliberations. Xcel expects the process to take approximately 30 days, subject to the Commission and its deliberative process.
In the initial phase of the petition, the Commission will determine whether to accept the proposal to keep Unit 2 operational after its planned December 31, 2025 retirement date. Following that decision, the petition allows time for the Commission to evaluate long-term resource options.
On or before March 1, 2026, the Commission will receive a report that includes an update on the repair and return to service status of Unit 3. This report will include an initial plan to address ongoing needs and operational requirements for Unit 2, with a focus on operations after Unit 3 returns to service.
By June 1, 2026, Xcel expects to file an application for any additional variances or resource approvals, building on the prior report. Xcel expects to include its analyses of potential paths forward to ensure affordable and reliable electricity for Colorado ratepayers, taking into consideration all available options and current ongoing planning efforts.
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