New Mexico coal plant may run to 2038 instead of 2031 closure as Arizona electricity demand surges
By Eve
Arizona Public Service and Navajo Transitional Energy Co. agreed in September to potentially extend the Four Corners Power Plant's operation by seven years to 2038, beyond its planned 2031 shutdown. APS, Arizona's largest utility, cites hotter summers, economic expansion and new large-scale power users driving electricity demand growth at the fastest pace in the state's history. The plant's permit runs until 2041, allowing operations to continue after the original closure date, though the extension would increase emissions and water use.
Why it matters
Rising electricity demand from data centres, manufacturing and electrification is forcing utilities to reconsider fossil plant retirements, potentially slowing the grid decarbonisation that underpins EV charging infrastructure expansion. Procurement teams planning charging networks in the Southwest must account for a slower clean-energy transition and possible grid-carbon intensity impacts on sustainability targets.
Source
- Original title
- “New Mexico coal plant set for 2031 closure could get 7 more years as Arizona demand climbs”
- Published
- 7 October 2026
- Updated
- 8 October 2026
In this story
- Topic
- Grid & Energy
- Place
- United States
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