List of power stations in Colorado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of electric power generation stations in the U.S. state of Colorado, sorted by type and name. In 2024, Colorado has a total summer capacity of 19.8 GW through all of its power plants, and net generation of 58,798 GWh.[2] In 2025 the electrical energy generation mix was 31.9% natural gas, 30.2% wind, 24.7% coal, 9.8% solar, 3.3% hydroelectric, and 0.1% biomass.[1]
- Natural gas: 18,112 (31.9%)
- Wind: 17,118 (30.2%)
- Coal: 14,018 (24.7%)
- Solar: 5,586 (9.84%)
- Hydroelectric: 1,852 (3.26%)
- Biomass: 75 (0.13%)
Small-scale solar, including customer-owned photovoltaic panels, delivered an additional net 2,233 GWh to Colorado's electricity grid in 2025. This compares as about 40 percent of the amount generated by the state's utility-scale photovoltaic plants.[1] In 2004, Colorado became the first state with a voter-approved renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The RPS requires 30% of electricity sold by investor-owned utilities to come from renewable energy sources by 2020, with 3% from distributed generation.[3]
Wind turbines on Colorado's high eastern plains are productive year-round and continued to proliferate in 2021. Coal has been undergoing replacement with natural gas and renewables in the state's electricity portfolio. Half of the coal mined in Colorado was exported in 2019, and extraction of the states's oil and gas reserves increased to record-high levels.[3]
As coal power plants are closed and some new solar projects delayed, a 270 MW shortfall was projected for the 2024 peak summer load.[4]
Nuclear power stations
The Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Power Plant generated 330 MW of electricity during years 1976 to 1989.[5] Decommissioning and removal of the nuclear components was completed in 1992.[6] The first natural gas combustion turbine was installed in 1995. Colorado had no utility-scale plants that used fissile material as a fuel in 2022.[1]
Fossil-fuel power stations
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[7]
Coal-fired
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Year completed | Scheduled retirement | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comanche Generating Station | Pueblo County | 38°12′29″N 104°34′29″W | 1,410 | 1973 - Unit 1 1975 - Unit 2 2010 - Unit 3 | 2022 - Unit 1 2025 - Unit 2 2031 - Unit 3 |
[8][9][10] |
| Craig Generating Station | Moffat County | 40°27′46″N 107°35′28″W | 1,283 | 1981 - Unit 1 1979 - Unit 2 1984 - Unit 3 | 2025 - Unit 1 2028 - Unit 2 2029 - Unit 3 |
[11][12][13][14][15] |
| Pawnee Generating Station | Morgan County | 40°13′18″N 103°40′49″W | 505 | 1981 | 2025 | [16][17][18][10] |
| Hayden Generating Station | Routt County | 40°29′08″N 107°11′06″W | 441 | 1965 - Unit 1 1976 - Unit 2 | 2028 - Unit 1 2027 - Unit 2 |
[19][20][21] |
| Rawhide Energy Station | Larimer County | 40°51′39″N 105°01′16″W | 280 | 1984 | 2030 | [22][23][24] |
| Ray D Nixon Power Plant | El Paso County | 38°38′00″N 104°42′21″W | 208 | 1980 | 2030 | [25][26][27] |
| Martin Drake Power Plant | El Paso County | 38°49′28″N 104°50′00″W | 185 | 1968 - Unit 6 1974 - Unit 7 | 2021 - closed | [28][29][27][30] |
| Nucla Station | Montrose County | 38°14′18″N 108°30′28″W | 100 | 1959 - Units 1-3 1991 - Unit 4 | 2019 - closed | [31][32] |
| Lamar Station | Prowers County | 38°02′00″N 102°32′16″W | 52 | 2008 | 2011 - closed | [33][34] |
Natural gas-fired
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Generation type | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort St. Vrain Generating Station | Weld County | 40°14′46″N 104°52′27″W | 969 | 3x1 combined cycle, simple cycle (x2) | 1996-2001/ 2009 | [35] |
| Cherokee Generating Station | Adams County | 39°48′26″N 104°57′52″W | 928 | Steam turbine, 2x1 combined cycle | 1968/2015 | [36] |
| Rocky Mountain Generating Station | Weld County | 40°05′27″N 104°35′43″W | 580 | 2x1 combined cycle | 2004 | [37] |
| Front Range Power Plant | El Paso County | 38°37′41″N 104°42′25″W | 460 | 2x1 combined cycle | 2003 | [38] |
| Pueblo Airport Generating Station | Pueblo County | 38°19′15″N 104°31′35″W | 440 | 2x1 combined cycle (x2) Simple cycle (x3) | 2012 | [39] |
| Rawhide Energy Station | Larimer County | 40°51′39″N 105°01′16″W | 388 | Simple cycle (x5) | 2002/2004/ 2008 | [22] |
| Brush Generating Station | Morgan County | 40°14′29″N 103°37′52″W | 307 | 1x1 combined cycle (x2) 2x1 combined cycle, Simple cycle | 1990/1994/ 1999-2002 | [40] |
| Manchief Generating Station | Morgan County | 40°13′03″N 103°41′06″W | 300 | Simple cycle (x2) | 2000 | [41][42] |
| Spindle Hill Energy Center | Weld County | 40°05′32″N 104°53′16″W | 300 | Simple cycle (x2) | 2007 | [43] |
| J M Shafer Generating Station | Weld County | 40°05′55″N 104°46′25″W | 272 | 5x2 combined cycle | 2012 | [40] |
| Blue Spruce Energy Center | AdamsCounty | 39°44′52″N 104°40′53″W | 264 | Simple cycle (x2) | 2003 | [44] |
| Plains End Power Plant (I & II) | Jefferson County | 39°51′27″N 105°13′33″W | 231 | Reciprocating engine (x34) | 2002/2008 | [45][46] |
| Fountain Valley Power Facility | El Paso County | 38°33′25″N 104°41′15″W | 240 | Simple cycle (x6) | 2001 | [47] |
| Valmont Generating Station | Boulder County | 40°01′10″N 105°12′07″W | 227 | Simple cycle (x3) | 1973/2000 | [48] |
| Knutson Power Plant | Adams County | 39°56′28″N 104°40′55″W | 140 | Simple cycle (x2) | 2002 | [49] |
| Limon Generating Station | Lincoln County | 39°12′14″N 103°42′02″W | 140 | Simple cycle (x2) | 2002 | [49] |
| Arapahoe Combustion Turbine | Denver County | 39°40′09″N 105°00′06″W | 122 | 3x1 combined cycle | 2000-2002 | [50] |
| Fort Lupton Generating Station | Weld County | 40°05′32″N 104°47′46″W | 88 | Simple cycle (x2) | 1972 | [51][52] |
| Rifle Generating Station | Garfield County | 39°31′02″N 107°43′48″W | 85 | 3x1 combined cycle | 1986 | [40] |
| Ray D Nixon Power Plant | El Paso County | 38°38′00″N 104°42′21″W | 60 | Simple cycle (x2) | 1999 | [25] |
| George Birdsall Plant | El Paso County | 38°52′53″N 104°49′01″W | 55 | Steam turbine (x3) | 1953-1954/ 1957 | [53] |
| Colorado Energy Nations Plant | Jefferson County | 39°45′38″N 105°12′54″W | 40 | Steam turbine (x3) | 1976-1977/ 1983 | |
| UC Boulder Power Plant | Boulder County | 40°00′27″N 105°16′09″W | 31 | 2x1 combined cycle | 1992 | [54] |
| Williams Ignacio Gas Plant[A] | La Plata County | 37°08′44″N 107°47′05″W | 6.1 | Steam turbine ORC generator | 1984 2014 | [55][56] |
| OREG IV Peetz[A] | Logan County | 40°59′33″N 102°51′11″W | 3.5 | ORC generator | 2009 | [57] |
A Waste heat recovery from gas turbines that are used to compress natural gas.
Petroleum-fired
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Generation type | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | Kit Carson County | 39°21′22″N 102°14′35″W | 100 | Simple cycle (x2) | 1977 | |
| La Junta | Otero County | 37°59′15″N 103°32′48″W | 14.4 | Reciprocating engine (x7) | 1939/1942/1958/ 1962/1970 | |
| Airport Industrial | Pueblo County | 38°17′04″N 104°31′51″W | 10.0 | Reciprocating engine (x4) | 2002 | |
| Rocky Ford | Otero County | 38°02′57″N 103°42′49″W | 10.0 | Reciprocating engine (x5) | 1964 | |
| Pueblo | Pueblo County | 38°16′00″N 104°36′52″W | 8.0 | Reciprocating engine (x4) | 1964 | |
| Trinidad | Las Animas County | 37°10′44″N 104°29′15″W | 5.4 | Reciprocating engine (x3) | 1999 | |
| Las Animas | Bent County | 38°03′53″N 103°12′57″W | 5.1 | Reciprocating engine (x5) | 1941/1951/1967 | |
Renewable power stations
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[7]
Biomass
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) |
Fuel | Generation type |
Year completed |
Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DADS Gas Recovery | Arapahoe County | 39°39′08″N 104°42′58″W | 2.8 | Landfill gas | Reciprocating engine (x4) | 2008 | [58] |
| Eagle Valley Clean Energy | Eagle County | 39°38′53″N 106°56′35″W | 12.6 | Wood/wood waste | Steam turbine | 2013 | [59] |
| Front Range Project | Weld County | 40°01′46″N 105°00′17″W | 3.1 | Landfill gas | Reciprocating engine (x1) | 2011 | [60] |
| Metro Wastewater Reclamation | Denver County | 39°48′28″N 104°57′15″W | 9.8 | Biogas | Reciprocating engine (x4) Single cycle (x2) |
1985 2000 |
[61] |
Hydroelectric
Note: This list excludes Colorado's pumped-storage hydroelectric facilities (see Pumped storage).
Wind farms
Solar farms
Storage power stations
Battery storage
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Discharge capacity (MW) | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Carson BESS | El Paso County | 38°44′44″N 104°46′40″W | 4.2 | 2018 | [151] |
| I-25 Battery Storage | Weld County | 40°08′25″N 104°58′41″W | 4.0 | 2018 | [152] |
| DOE Golden NWTC Hybrid | Jefferson County | 39°54′50″N 105°12′55″W | 1.3 | 2019 | |
| Panasonic Carport Solar Hybrid | Adams County | 39°48′31″N 104°46′53″W | 1.0 | 2017 | |
Pumped storage
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin Creek Generating Station | Clear Creek County | 39°39′19″N 105°42′32″W | 324 | 1967 | [153] |
| Mount Elbert Powerplant | Lake County | 39°05′39″N 106°21′08″W | 200 | 1981 | [154] |
| Flatiron Power Plant | Larimer County | 40°21′54″N 105°14′10″W | 8.5 | 1954 | [64][65] |
