Xcel Energy is putting renewable energy at the forefront of its Clean Energy Plan for Colorado, announcing details about its goals during a conference Wednesday.

The company, Colorado’s largest utility, promised to double its renewable energy and cut its carbon dioxide emissions 85% by 2030 compared to 2005. Xcel also plans to stop using coal power by 2040 and transition to all-renewable energy by 2050.

Many state leaders and environmental groups reacted mostly positively to Xcel’s plan, although the oil and gas industry considers it too ambitious.

“Recent wildfires and droughts in our state remind us that we are already paying the price for climate change,” said Kelly Nordini, executive director of Conservation Colorado.

“We need to be doing everything we possibly can to move toward 100% clean, renewable energy to reach our climate targets and protect our air, climate and future generations. We’re excited to dig into Xcel’s plan to ensure that their leadership maximizes pollution reductions.”

In 2019, the General Assembly, with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, passed the state’s first Climate Action Plan, House Bill 1236.

In the same session, Senate Bill 236 was passed, requiring utilities to file a clean energy plan outlining how they will reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2050.

Xcel’s new Clean Energy Plan goes beyond state law, surpassing emissions reduction requirements by 5%.

“The legislature acted boldly to require utilities to reduce dangerous emissions that are threatening our planet,” said House Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver. “It’s good news for Colorado that Xcel Energy will exceed the ambitious targets we set.”

“Building back stronger means leaving our state better off for future generations by protecting public health, our economy and our Colorado way of life. … Utilities will help make significant progress toward reaching our climate goals.”

The clean energy plan was largely driven by Democrats in the state legislature, especially Gov. Jared Polis.

The first promise Polis made when he was running for governor in 2017 was to move Colorado toward 100% renewable energy by 2040, the same year Xcel intends to stop using coal power.

Though Xcel is exceeding state requirements, some environmental activists believe that Xcel’s plan still does not go far enough.

Anna McDevitt, a senior representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, criticized Xcel’s 2040 coal deadline in a statement posted online Wednesday.

“Good to see Xcel wants to invest in a bunch of renewable energy but in my opinion, you can’t be a climate leader if you burn coal past 2030 and just swap one fossil fuel for another,” McDevitt said. “Time to accelerate climate action!”

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Others argue that moving away from natural gas at all isn’t the right move for Colorado.

Dan Haley, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, called activists’ visions for an all-renewable energy future “unrealistic” and said cleaner-burning natural gas is the way of the future.

“Our industry has worked overtime to reduce its emissions and help improve Colorado’s air quality,” Haley said. “We’ve seen a nearly 60% drop in emissions over the past decade, particularly along Colorado’s Front Range, and that trend will continue.”

As part of the plan, Xcel will retire all three of its remaining coal-fired plants by 2040: the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, the Hayden Station in Hayden and the Pawnee Station in Brush.

Xcel intends to close the Pueblo plant’s three units in 2022, 2025 and 2040. The Hayden plant’s two units will close in 2027 and 2028. The 505-megawatt facility in Brush will be converted to natural gas in 2028 and continue to run until 2041.

This is a significant adjustment for the Pueblo plant especially, as the newest unit in the plant was previously planned to operate until 2070, now shutting down 30 years early.

“Activists may hate this fact, but when the rubber meets the road, we are a critical partner in efforts to combat global climate change,” Haley said. “Coloradans expect and deserve grid stability. People’s lives and livelihoods depend on it.”

Despite these closings, Xcel is adamant that its Clean Energy Plan will not result in any layoffs and that the company is exploring clean technology and redevelopment opportunities in areas impacted by plant closures.

The company has reportedly been working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 111 to assure workers will still have union jobs during and after the transition.

Xcel’s announcement has received support from several local environmental activist groups, including Energy Outreach and the Nature Conservancy which each released statements Wednesday commending the company’s plan.

“The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is imperative to tackle climate change,” said Carlos Fernandez, Colorado state director of the Nature Conservancy. “Xcel has been a leader in our state.”

Supporters have applauded Xcel’s relatively quick action in realigning its operations to meet emissions goals.

The company is projecting resource additions including 2,300 megawatts of wind, 1,600 megawatts of utility-scale solar, 400 megawatts of energy storage, 1,300 megawatts of firm dispatchable resources and 1,300 megawatts of distributed solar.

“We’ve seen a lot of utilities make big announcements about GHG reduction goals,” said Erin Overturf, deputy director of the clean energy program for Western Resource Advocates. “I appreciate that Xcel is taking steps to align their operations with actually achieving those goals.”

“It’s time for all electric utilities – and other industries – to follow suit.”

Xcel’s Clean Energy Plan will now go to the Colorado Utilities Commission for approval. It will be submitted to state regulators next month.