Coal

Xcel Energy proposes coal exit by 2030

The latest coal plant retirement to be announced by Xcel Energy now puts the company on the path toward a coal exit by 2030.

The latest coal plant retirement to be announced by Xcel Energy now puts the company on the path toward a coal exit by 2030.

The coal-fired Tolk Generating Station in Texas would now retire by 2028 under a utility proposal, more than four years earlier than planned. Tolk is about 70 miles northwest of Lubbock and includes units with a combined capacity of 1,067 megawatts.

The proposal will go before Texas regulators in February 2023. Xcel Energy plans to continue using synchronous condensers at Tolk after 2028 to help stabilize the grid.

Assuming regulators approve the proposal, along with accelerated coal plant retirements in other states, Xcel Energy would officially exit the use of coal by the end of 2030, when the Comanche 3 coal unit in Colorado retires.

Xcel expects a diverse mix of replacement generation, including wind and solar, to be developed near Tolk after coal operations are retired.

The company added “changes in federal laws are making the replacement of coal generation with cleaner energy sources more cost-effective.”

Xcel Energy wants to reduce carbon emissions from electricity 80% by 2030 and has a goal to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.

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