Tri-State, Platte River request rehearing of DOE order delaying retirement of Craig Station Unit 1
(January 29, 2026 – Westminster, Colorado) Amid concerns that its member and owner communities will unnecessarily bear the full cost of complying with a federal emergency order to keep the Craig Generating Station Unit 1 available to operate, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) and Platte River Power Authority (Platte River) requested a rehearing today on the order.
On Dec. 30, 2025, Tri-State, Platte River and three other electric utilities that co-own Craig Unit 1 received an emergency order from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, identifying an energy emergency in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council Northwest area. The order directed Tri-State, in coordination with the other co-owners, to keep Craig Unit 1 available to operate for the next 90 days.
“We support the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts to ensure the western United States maintains a reliable supply of electricity to meet growing demand and emergencies, and we do not take this request for a rehearing lightly, but as not-for-profit entities, we face issues that other utilities do not, because it is our members that ultimately are going to pay for the cost of this order,” said Tri-State CEO Duane Highley.
“We join Tri-State in this request for a rehearing on the emergency order for Craig Unit 1. We have planned for the retirement of this resource for over a decade and have proactively replaced the capacity and energy from new sources,” said Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO of Platte River. “While Platte River will continue to comply with federal law, we disagree with the need to keep the plant open.”
Tri-State and Platte River have unique governance structures and, as not-for-profits owned by the members and communities they serve, their owners are the ratepayers who would shoulder 100% of the burden of any unrecovered costs, even though Craig Unit 1 is not necessary for ensuring reliability on either of the utility services providers’ systems.
Tri-State and Platte River bear responsibility to control costs on behalf of their members and ratepayers, and their request for rehearing argues that the DOE issued the 202(c) order without adequate consideration of its costs, including failing to ensure compensation for the costs of compliance. They also request the DOE to work with them to identify a more efficient method of meeting DOE policy concerns, which will avoid unnecessary cost on their members and ratepayers.
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.
Platte River Power Authority
Platte River Power Authority is a not-for-profit, community-owned public power generation and transmission utility that provides safe, reliable, environmentally responsible and financially sustainable energy and services to Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, Colorado, for delivery to their distribution utility customers. In addition to providing a public health and safety service to the owner communities, Platte River is working toward a 100% noncarbon energy future through a Resource Diversification Policy approved by its board of directors in 2018. For more information, visit prpa.org.
Contact
Amy Robertson, 303-254-3743, amy.robertson@tristategt.org
Maia Jackson, 970-568-6678, jacksonm@prpa.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.