Power plants in the WAPA Rocky Mountain balancing area
The WAPA Rocky Mountain balancing area takes in 166 power plants with 11.3 GW of nameplate capacity, the 19th-largest of the 40 areas covered here. Its plants sit in seven states, with Colorado holding 56% of the capacity. Coal makes up 50% of the mix, and the largest plant is Laramie River Station (1,863 MW). Since 2020, 2,627 MW has come online here, 52% of it wind.
- Coal5,625 MW50%
- Wind1,857 MW16%
- Natural gas1,714 MW15%
- Solar871 MW7.7%
- Hydroelectric704 MW6.3%
- Pumped-storage hydro208 MW1.9%
- Oil and petroleum159 MW1.4%
- Battery storage108 MW1.0%
- Other sources7.9 MW0.1%
- Biomass and waste3.2 MW0.0%
Capacity by decade it came online
CoalNatural gasOil and petroleumHydroelectricPumped-storage hydroWindSolarBattery storageBiomass and wasteOther sources
Above the line: capacity operating in 2025. Below: capacity retired at plants that still run.
The 25 largest plants in the area
| Rank | Plant | State | Runs on | Capacity | First unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laramie River Station | Wyoming | Coal | 1,863 MW | 1981 |
| 2 | Craig (CO) | Colorado | Coal | 1,428 MW | 1979 |
| 3 | Comanche (CO) | Colorado | Coal | 1,253 MW | 1975 |
| 4 | Front Range Power Plant | Colorado | Natural gas | 554 MW | 2003 |
| 5 | Dry Fork Station | Wyoming | Coal | 484 MW | 2011 |
| 6 | Cedar Springs Wind IV | Wyoming | Wind | 390 MW | 2025 |
| 7 | Ray D Nixon | Colorado | Coal | 283 MW | 1980 |
| 8 | South Plant (CO) | Colorado | Natural gas | 245 MW | 2023 |
| 9 | Roundhouse Wind Energy Project | Wyoming | Wind | 226 MW | 2020 |
| 10 | Niyol Wind, LLC | Colorado | Wind | 206 MW | 2021 |
| 11 | Mount Elbert | Colorado | Pumped-storage hydro | 200 MW | 1981 |
| 12 | Morrow Point | Colorado | Hydroelectric | 173 MW | 1970 |
| 13 | Mountain Peak Power Station | Colorado | Natural gas | 163 MW | 2025 |
| 14 | Limon Generating Station | Colorado | Natural gas | 154 MW | 2002 |
| 15 | South Cheyenne Solar | Wyoming | Solar | 150 MW | 2024 |
| 16 | Panorama Wind, LLC | Colorado | Wind | 145 MW | 2022 |
| 17 | Cheyenne Prairie Generating Station | Wyoming | Natural gas | 140 MW | 2014 |
| 18 | Neil Simpson II | Wyoming | Coal | 130 MW | 1995 |
| 19 | Burlington (CO) | Colorado | Oil and petroleum | 129 MW | 1977 |
| 20 | Wild Springs | South Dakota | Solar | 128 MW | 2024 |
| 21 | Anticline Wind | Wyoming | Wind | 124 MW | 2024 |
| 22 | Wygen III | Wyoming | Coal | 116 MW | 2010 |
| 23 | Ben French | South Dakota | Natural gas | 110 MW | 1965 |
| 24 | Dolores Canyon Solar | Colorado | Solar | 110 MW | 2025 |
| 25 | Roundhouse Renewable Energy II | Wyoming | Wind | 106 MW | 2023 |
States
| State | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 119 | 6,297 MW |
| Wyoming | 19 | 4,082 MW |
| South Dakota | 7 | 500 MW |
| New Mexico | 6 | 198 MW |
| North Dakota | 1 | 104 MW |
| Nebraska | 7 | 58.8 MW |
| Utah | 7 | 20.2 MW |
Operators with the most capacity
| Operator | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Basin Electric Power Coop | 5 | 2,407 MW |
| Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc | 4 | 1,821 MW |
| Public Service Co of Colorado | 3 | 1,261 MW |
| City of Colorado Springs (CO) | 6 | 1,115 MW |
| U S Bureau of Reclamation | 15 | 760 MW |
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | 7 | 621 MW |
| Cedar Springs Wind IV, LLC | 1 | 390 MW |
| Roundhouse Renewable Energy, LLC | 1 | 226 MW |
| Niyol Wind, LLC | 1 | 206 MW |
| Black Hills Service Company LLC | 2 | 192 MW |