What does the future hold for the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo?

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - Xcel Energy is expected to release preliminary plans for the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo late in the evening of October 15 or early morning of October 16.

Ahead of the release of the plans, the organization, Mothers in Front held a rally on the steps of the Pueblo County building on Thursday, October 10.

At the gathering, activists called on county commissioners to consider a renewable energy approach to replacing the Comanche plant. The plant is currently coal-fired and closing decades earlier than expected. According to polling, renewables are the most popular option that Puebloans cite, but it’s just one option up for debate.

Could the Comanche plant east of Pueblo be replaced by natural gas or a nuclear alternative?

"The only way that I believe that Pueblo could be made whole is if they build a nuclear," said Jerry Bellah.

Jerry Bellah is the vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He supports the nuclear option, saying it would be a boom to Pueblo’s economy.

"It would be one of the biggest things that's happened to Pueblo, maybe since they built the steel mill," Bellah estimated.

He touts the creation of construction jobs along with zero carbon emissions. But, climate advocates worry about the radioactive waste that such a plant could leave behind.

"They are really the wolf in sheep's clothing as far as I'm concerned. They're full of a lot of unsubstantiated promises," said Velma Campbell.

Campbell is a Pueblo doctor specializing in public health. She says this should be viewed as an opportunity to make the Steel City the solar capital of the West.

"Our community really needs to be getting on with, the resources that we have in abundance, which is shining down on our head right now," Campbell said referencing the sun.

Solar panels are already in use around the plant. They could even be part of a multi-pronged solution combining nuclear with expanded wind and solar farms.

"We believe all of the above is the approach," shared Bellah.

Proponents said that new technologies have made nuclear power much safer while reducing waste.
But on Saturday, October 12, the Nuclear-Free Colorado Coalition will hold another rally at the Pueblo County building to voice its opposition.