Gas turbines will help replace coal to start retiring Martin Drake Power Plant

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Springs Utilities will buy six gas turbine packages from GE to help close the coal-fired Martin Drake Power Plant by December 31, 2022. The goal is for these new units to power the downtown area until a new transmission line can be used in 2025.

These types of gas turbine packages are the first of their kind to be installed in North America. They are expected to start commercial operation by the summer of 2022. The units are designed to be easily relocated and are expected to move to other sites around Colorado Springs in the future. The gas turbine packages are also designed to save cost on the coal-to-gas transition.

According to a press released from Colorado Springs Utilities, the units "provide dual-fuel capability, primarily burning natural gas, and can use liquid fuels to help meet periods of low natural gas availability."

In July, the Colorado Springs Utilities board voted 7-2 to close the Drake by 2023 and the Ray Nixon Plant, south of Colorado Springs, by 2030.

Watch KRDO NewsChannel 13 tonight at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. to learn more about the future of energy generation in downtown Colorado Springs and what will happen to the site of the current Martin Drake Power Plant.