Energy Secretary Wright Extends Colorado Coal Plant Operations, Meets Venezuelan Leadership on Global Energy Security

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright made headlines this week with key actions on energy security. RealEstateRama reports that on March 31, 2026, Wright issued an emergency order to keep Unit 1 at the Craig Station coal plant in Craig, Colorado operational through June 28, 2026. This directs Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Platte River Power Authority, Salt River Project, PacifiCorp, and Public Service Company of Colorado, along with the Western Area Power Administration Rocky Mountain Region and Southwest Power Pool, to ensure the unit remains available. The plant was set to shut down at the end of 2025, but Wright's order, first issued December 30, 2025, aims to maintain affordable, reliable, and secure electricity for Americans. Wright stated that the previous administration's policies risked more blackouts, and President Trump is preventing that. In 2025, over 17 gigawatts of coal-power generation were preserved through similar efforts. Starting April 1, 2026, with Tri-State and Western Area Power Administration joining the Southwest Power Pool RTO West expansion, economic dispatch will minimize costs to ratepayers. In international news, the Los Angeles Times covered Wright's recent meeting in Caracas with a delegation led by him. There, he met Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez at Miraflores Palace. Rodriguez has stayed in the role past her 90-day limit after Nicolas Maduro's January capture by U.S. forces, with no public vote from the National Assembly to extend it. The high court deems Maduro still president despite his forced absence, and the assembly could call snap elections. These moves highlight Wright's focus on energy reliability amid global tensions. Listeners, thank you for tuning in, and please subscribe for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.