Tri-State makes Craig Generating Station Unit 1 available to operate in compliance with DOE emergency order
(January 23, 2026 – Westminster, Colorado) To comply with an emergency order from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and the other co-owners of the Craig Generating Station took the necessary steps this week to make Unit 1 available to operate.
On Dec. 30, 2025, owners of the Craig Station received the emergency order from the DOE identifying an energy emergency in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council Northwest area and directing Tri-State to keep Unit 1 available to operate at the direction of either the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)—Rocky Mountain Region Western Area Colorado Missouri (WACM) in its role as Balancing Authority or the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) West in its role as the Reliability Coordinator, for the next 90 days.
Unit 1 went into an outage on Dec. 19, 2025, due to a mechanical failure of a valve. Tri-State and the other co-owners took the necessary steps to repair the valve in a timely manner and as noted, the unit was available to operate by Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
Retaining Unit 1 in compliance with the order will likely require additional investments in operations, repairs, maintenance and, potentially, fuel supply, all factors increasing costs. Tri-State continues to evaluate how best to comply while limiting the costs to its members, and the impacts to its employees and operations. Tri-State is not providing estimates at this time for the costs that may ultimately be necessary for compliance, including recent repairs, as it is working to prepare filings in support of cost recovery.
Craig Units 1 and 2 are part of the Yampa Project, jointly owned with multiple utility services providers including Tri-State, Platte River Power Authority, PacifiCorp, Xcel Energy and Salt River Project, with Tri-State as the operating entity. Tri-State owns 100% of Unit 3. Craig Unit 1’s capacity is 427 megawatts. Unit 2, with a capacity of 410 megawatts, and Unit 3, with a capacity of 448 megawatts, are scheduled to retire in 2028.
Since 2016, Unit 1 has been scheduled for retirement by Dec. 31, 2025, for economic reasons, and to comply with numerous state and federal requirements. This retirement decision has informed operational and maintenance decisions, and Tri-State has planned for adequate resources to maintain reliability on its system following the unit’s retirement.
About Tri-State
Tri-State is a power supply cooperative, operating on a not-for-profit basis, serving electric distribution cooperatives and public power district member-owners in four states. Together with our members, we deliver reliable, affordable and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the rural West. Visit www.tristate.coop.
Contact
Amy Robertson, 303-254-3743, amy.robertson@tristategt.org
Mark Stutz, 303-254-3183, mark.stutz@tristategt.org
Certain information contained in this press statement are forward-looking statements including statements concerning Tri-State’s plans, future events, and other information that is not historical information. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described from time to time in Tri-State’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Tri-State’s expectations and beliefs are expressed in good faith, and Tri-State believes there is a reasonable basis for them. However, Tri-State cannot assure you that management’s expectations and beliefs will be achieved. There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein.