Cholla Power Plant
Coal power plant in Navajo County, Arizona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cholla Power Plant was a 1.02-gigawatt (1,021 MW), coal power plant near Joseph City, Arizona, United States. The plant is jointly owned by Arizona Public Service (APS) and PacifiCorp. The plant began operations in 1962. Generating units 2 and 4 were retired 2015 and 2020, respectively, while Units 1 and 3 were retired in 2025.
| Cholla Power Plant | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Joseph City, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 34°56′25″N 110°18′01″W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | Unit 1: 1962 Unit 2: 1978 Unit 3: 1980 Unit 4: 1981 |
| Decommission date | Unit 2: 2016 Unit 4: 2020 Units 1 & 3: 2025 |
| Owners | Units 1–3: Arizona Public Service Unit 4: PacifiCorp |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Subbituminous coal |
| Turbine technology | Steam turbine |
| Cooling source | Artificial Cholla Lake |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 1,021 MW |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
History
The coal burned at the plant came mostly from the McKinley Mine, located east of Window Rock, Arizona, in New Mexico, until the mine was closed in 2009 after its reserves being leased were exhausted.[1] In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified Cholla that pollution controls were needed for Units 2 through 4.[2] Unit 2 was retired in 2016 as the cost to add pollution controls outweighed the benefits. The remaining units were to be either retired or converted to burn another fuel source by 2025.[3] In January 2020, it was announced that PacifiCorp would close unit 4 by the end of the year. APS announced that while a conversion to natural gas had been an option, it was no longer being considered. A proposal was put forth to convert a unit to burn biomass, however regulators at the Arizona Corporation Commission voted down that plan in 2019.[4]
In March 2025, APS retired the remaining two units at Cholla.[5] Even though an executive order by the Trump Administration was signed to prevent further closures of coal plants the following month, including Cholla by name, APS evaluated and kept the plant shuttered.[6][7] The plant would've required $2 billion in investment to bring the facility back online according to a state regulator.[8]
Units
The plant consisted of the following units:[9]
