Coal

Unit Closes at Coal-Fired San Juan Generating Station

The rest of the San Juan plant could close as early as 2022.

By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – The first of two units to be shut down at a coal-fired power plant that has served customers throughout the American Southwest for decades is no longer in operation.

Officials with New Mexico’s largest electric utility say Unit 3 at the San Juan Generating Station was switched off just after midnight and the other unit will be turned off this weekend as Public Service Co. of New Mexico looks to meet a federally-mandated deadline.

It’s part of an agreement with state and federal regulators and other stakeholders to reduce haze-causing pollution in the Four Corners region, where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah meet.

The rest of the San Juan plant could close as early as 2022 while another coal-fired plant in neighboring Arizona is scheduled to close in 2019.