Xcel Energy Colorado on Wednesday filed its Clean Energy Plan with state regulators, proposing to retire a pair of coal units capable of generating 660 megawatts and add 1.8 gigawatts of renewables, along with developing energy storage and purchasing power from existing gas resources.
The plan calls for $2.5 billion of investment across eight counties, expecting to save customers $215 million.
If approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Xcel’s plan could reduce 60 percent in carbon emissions by 2026, and the utility would source nearly 55 percent of its energy from renewables.
New wind farms would be located in the north and east areas of Colorado. Approximately 500 megawatts of solar additions and 225 megawatts of battery storage plants would be located in the south area of the state.
The CPUC is expected to rule on the plan by September 2018.
