Pueblo County is at a pivotal moment as it grapples with the impending closure of the Xcel Comanche 3 coal plant. In a recent Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) meeting held on April 17, residents and local leaders expressed their vision for a future powered by renewable energy. This vision is encapsulated in the proposal for a “Renewable Energy Park.”
The concept of a Renewable Energy Park comes from Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan think tank focused on climate policy. The park would harness solar, wind, and battery storage technologies to generate energy, promising to create over 300 permanent jobs and up to $40 million in annual tax revenue.
Supporters of the Renewable Energy Park include Pueblo County Commissioner Miles Lucero and former Mayor Nick Gradisar, who addressed the PUC to advocate for the project. “Pueblo wants a clean energy future,” Lucero said, highlighting the community’s pride in its solar-powered steel mill and other green initiatives.
Michelle Solomon, a manager at Energy Innovation, explained that the Renewable Energy Park offers a more feasible alternative to a nuclear Small Modular Reactor (SMR), which she described as costly and complicated to build. “The biggest risk with the nuclear plant, honestly, is that it never gets built,” Solomon said, emphasizing the economic and logistical challenges of nuclear projects.
The Pueblo Innovative Energy Solutions Advisory Committee (PIESAC), however, had previously recommended advanced nuclear as the only viable replacement for Comanche 3. Their research suggested that a nuclear facility would generate significant tax revenue, estimated at $95.29 million, and provide 200 to 300 jobs.
Nuclear vs. Renewable: Weighing the Options
While nuclear power offers higher tax revenue, the Renewable Energy Park could still effectively replace Comanche 3. Nick Gradisar expressed concerns about relying on yet-to-be-perfected SMR technology and advocated for more immediate solutions. “We don’t have time to wait for that technology to be perfected in the city of Pueblo,” Gradisar stated, endorsing the Renewable Energy Park’s potential for a timely transition by 2031.
Beyond Pueblo County, the Renewable Energy Park offers financial advantages for Xcel Energy’s electric ratepayers. Solomon noted that the cost of the park, estimated at $3 billion, is significantly less than the $7 billion projected for a 500-megawatt nuclear plant. “You’re actually getting much more for that $3 billion,” she said, outlining a plan for 2,000 megawatts of solar, 1,600 megawatts of wind, and various battery storage solutions.
For more details on the Renewable Energy Park concept, Energy Innovation’s report is available here.
Original Story at www.yahoo.com