Cameo Power Plant

Another issue that has been very important to me has been the closure of the Cameo Cameo power plant. I fought to keep this plant open. The Cameo plant has served as a reliable provider of energy to the Western Slope and as a provider of jobs to an area that needs them

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I was disappointed that despite my efforts, the Cameo plant was destined for closure. Fortunately, there has been a  pay off as Xcel Energy has announced that they have been granted approval by the Public Utilities Commission to develop the site in Eastern Mesa County as a test project for solar energy.

When an energy plant closes, a huge vacuum in both energy production and the local economy is felt throughout the entire community. That is why I have diligently worked with Xcel Energy to keep the discussion of this site’s future alive.

The site will be used to test the use of concentrating solar energy to produce supplemental steam power for power generation at the existing plant.  If successful, the project could lead to larger scale applications in the future.

I will continue to work for a sensible energy policy for the West Slope. Xcel’s commitment to work with area leaders and myself on the potential reuse of the Cameo facility was my goal, and I am pleased to announce that we have been successful.

Xcel Energy had announced in 2007 that they would be shutting the plant down before December of 2010. According to Xcel, this particular type of parabolic trough solar integration with a fossil fuel plant has not been done anywhere before. The company has proposed this demonstration to determine if the environmental performance, cost-effectiveness, and reliability of this integration could be used in the future.

I appreciate Xcel’s commitment to Eastern Mesa County. I believe that we have found a good compromise to keep this site operational and the economic benefits of making this conversion are a great bonus.

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