Power plants in Colorado
Colorado has 320 power plants of 1 MW or more in the 2025 EIA-860 data, with 22.7 GW of nameplate capacity, the 22nd-largest total among the 50 states and DC. Natural gas accounts for 35% of that capacity. The biggest single site is Craig (CO) at 1,428 MW. Units that came online from 2020 to 2025 add 5,163 MW, led by solar at 52%. Units retired since 2016 at plants still operating total 868 MW, most of it coal.
- Natural gas8,042 MW35%
- Wind5,349 MW24%
- Coal4,199 MW18%
- Solar3,263 MW14%
- Hydroelectric678 MW3.0%
- Pumped-storage hydro508 MW2.2%
- Battery storage470 MW2.1%
- Oil and petroleum174 MW0.8%
- Biomass and waste21.4 MW0.1%
- Other sources6.1 MW0.0%
What is running, by the decade it came online
CoalNatural gasOil and petroleumHydroelectricPumped-storage hydroWindSolarBattery storageBiomass and wasteOther sources
Columns above the line show capacity still operating in 2025, stacked by fuel. Below the line: capacity retired in each decade at plants that still operate.
The 25 largest plants
| Rank | Plant | Runs on | Capacity | First unit | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig (CO) | Coal | 1,428 MW | 1979 | Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc |
| 2 | Comanche (CO) | Coal | 1,253 MW | 1975 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 3 | Fort St Vrain | Natural gas | 1,148 MW | 1996 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 4 | Cherokee | Natural gas | 1,006 MW | 1968 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 5 | Rawhide | Natural gas | 800 MW | 1984 | Platte River Power Authority |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain Energy Center | Natural gas | 685 MW | 2004 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 7 | Rush Creek Wind | Wind | 600 MW | 2018 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 8 | Front Range Power Plant | Natural gas | 554 MW | 2003 | City of Colorado Springs (CO) |
| 9 | Pawnee | Coal | 552 MW | 1981 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 10 | Cheyenne Ridge Wind Farm | Wind | 498 MW | 2020 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 11 | Hayden | Coal | 465 MW | 1965 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 12 | Neptune Energy Center Hybrid | Solar | 450 MW | 2023 | Neptune Energy Center, LLC |
| 13 | Pueblo Airport Generating Station | Natural gas | 440 MW | 2012 | Black Hills Service Company LLC |
| 14 | Spindle Hill Energy Center | Natural gas | 420 MW | 2007 | Invenergy Services LLC |
| 15 | Blue Spruce Energy Center | Natural gas | 398 MW | 2003 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 16 | JM Shafer Generating Station | Natural gas | 397 MW | 1994 | Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc |
| 17 | Thunder Wolf Energy Center Hybrid | Solar | 348 MW | 2023 | Thunder Wolf Energy Center, LLC |
| 18 | Rocky Mountain Solar | Solar | 325 MW | 2025 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 19 | Cedar Creek Wind | Wind | 300 MW | 2007 | Leeward Asset Management, LLC |
| 20 | Bronco Plains Wind, LLC | Wind | 300 MW | 2020 | Bronco Plains Wind, LLC |
| 21 | Cabin Creek | Pumped-storage hydro | 300 MW | 1967 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 22 | Manchief Electric Generating Station | Natural gas | 300 MW | 2000 | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| 23 | Ray D Nixon | Coal | 283 MW | 1980 | City of Colorado Springs (CO) |
| 24 | Brush Generation Facility | Natural gas | 273 MW | 1990 | Brush Power LLC |
| 25 | Cedar Point Wind | Wind | 252 MW | 2011 | Cedar Point LLC |
Largest plant for each main fuel
| Main fuel | Plants | Capacity | Largest plant | Its capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 29 | 8,259 MW | Fort St Vrain | 1,148 MW |
| Wind | 33 | 5,351 MW | Rush Creek Wind | 600 MW |
| Coal | 5 | 3,981 MW | Craig (CO) | 1,428 MW |
| Solar | 179 | 3,467 MW | Neptune Energy Center Hybrid | 450 MW |
| Hydroelectric | 46 | 687 MW | Morrow Point | 173 MW |
| Pumped-storage hydro | 2 | 500 MW | Cabin Creek | 300 MW |
| Battery storage | 14 | 267 MW | Jackson Fuller Energy Storage | 100 MW |
| Oil and petroleum | 8 | 173 MW | Burlington (CO) | 129 MW |
| Biomass and waste | 3 | 21.4 MW | Metro Wastewater Reclamation District | 15 MW |
| Other sources | 1 | 6.1 MW | Williams Ignacio Natural Gas Plant | 6.1 MW |
Balancing areas
| Area | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Public Service Company of Colorado | 192 | 16.4 GW |
| WAPA Rocky Mountain | 119 | 6,297 MW |
| Southwest Power Pool | 8 | 19.5 MW |
| PacifiCorp East | 1 | 7.5 MW |
Biggest operators here
| Operator | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of Colorado | 22 | 7,939 MW |
| Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc | 7 | 2,517 MW |
| City of Colorado Springs (CO) | 6 | 1,115 MW |
| Platte River Power Authority | 1 | 800 MW |
| U S Bureau of Reclamation | 14 | 732 MW |
| Leeward Asset Management, LLC | 3 | 617 MW |
| Limon | 3 | 601 MW |
| Invenergy Services LLC | 2 | 480 MW |
| Neptune Energy Center, LLC | 1 | 450 MW |
| Black Hills Service Company LLC | 1 | 440 MW |