Pueblo’s Comanche Generating Station could be replaced by a Renewable Energy Park
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - Pueblo community members and activists are hoping to replace the Comanche Generating Station, set to close by 2031, with a Renewable Energy Park. Proponents of the Renewable Energy Park promise clean, reliable energy from wind, solar, and battery storage.
The Comanche Generating Station, owned by Xcel Energy and located off Lime Road in Southeast Pueblo, is currently coal-fired and closing decades earlier than expected. This park aims to replace the tax base and energy generation capacity of the Comanche Station.
Energy Innovation, a think tank, along with community members will present the Renewable Energy Park proposal Thursday, April 17, 2025, at a public meeting held by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The meeting is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Colorado State University Pueblo in the Hoag Recital Hall.
According to presenters, this park has the potential to generate up to $40 million annually in property taxes for Pueblo, critical to replacing the lost revenue from the coal plant closure, which currently funds essential services like schools and libraries. Other key aspects of the proposal are said to include 300 permanent jobs and integration of clean industrial technologies, like thermal batteries and electrolyzers, to reduce pollution.
Other proposals for the use of the space left behind by the coal plant include geothermal and nuclear projects.
Pueblo residents are invited to attend the hearing and learn more about the proposal to replace the Comanche Generating Station with a Renewable Energy Park.
