Public comments urge renewables, oppose new gas and nuclear in Xcel’s Just Transition Solicitation

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission held a public comment hearing April 28, 2025 on Public Service Company of Colorado’s Just Transition Solicitation (JTS), proceeding number 24-0442E. Commissioners heard from roughly 60 remote attendees and nearly 80 registered participants; dozens of speakers asked the commission to prioritize renewable energy and battery storage, reject or limit new fossil gas and nuclear generation, require local economic planning for coal-impacted communities and protect ratepayers from bearing speculative costs for data centers and other new large loads.

The JTS was filed by Public Service on Oct. 15, 2024 and is intended to guide replacement resources for Comanche Unit 3 and other coal retirements. Megan Castle, communications director for the PUC, summarized the case on the record and noted the company has proposed a Strategic Reliability Reserve Fund (SRRF) filing (Apr. 2, 2025) and that an evidentiary hearing is scheduled for June after parties file testimony and rebuttal in April and May.

Why it matters: speakers framed the JTS as a consequential decision for public health, ratepayer costs and local economies in Pueblo, Craig and Hayden. Many called for a ‘‘just transition’’ that replaces coal with local renewable development, workforce training and revenue-replacement payments rather than new gas turbines or unproven nuclear options. Several speakers also urged the PUC to limit proposals that would allow Public Service to collect upfront funds that transfer construction and market risk from shareholders to ratepayers.

Most speakers recommended…