Craig Unit 1, a coal-fired power plant distinguished by tall exhaust smokestacks that rise above a rolling landscape in northwestern Colorado, was scheduled to close for good at the end of 2025 amid pressure from environmental advocates, public interest groups and state officials.
But on Dec. 30, Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered it to keep burning coal. The unit had suffered a mechanical failure 11 days earlier and was not even running. Wright has since renewed the order three times — most recently on Sept. 25, extending the plant’s life through Christmas Day, a full year past its retirement date.
