Harrington Generating Station

Xcel Energy has converted its coal-fired Harrington Generating Station in Potter County, Texas to natural gas, following an agreement with the Texas Commission on Environmental Policy (TCEQ).

In 2020, TCEQ reached an agreement with Xcel Energy concerning the Harrington plant’s violations of air quality standards. Under the agreement, Xcel Energy committed to converting the plant to gas-fired instead of coal-fired, which the company said was the “most cost-effective way” to meet federal air quality standards. Xcel Energy filed a conversion plan with state regulators in 2022, which indicated the plan could cost up to $70 million and would include the construction of 20 miles of new natural gas pipelines.

The conversion to natural gas will be fully complete in May 2025, Xcel said.

Harrington, with a generating capacity of 1,018 MW, was the company’s first coal-fueled power plant in Texas when Unit 1 went into service in 1976. Units 2 and 3 pioneered the use of baghouses to capture particulate matter from coal combustion, and the plant’s success as a low-cost resource led to the construction of Tolk Generating Station near Muleshoe, Texas, in the 1980s. Tolk is scheduled to be retired in 2032, at which point no power plants in the region will be fueled by coal.

“Harrington Station has a five-decade history of providing low-cost, highly reliable service to our Texas and New Mexico customers, and we are proud to re-power this great asset and protect the jobs within our Xcel Energy operations,” said Bob Frenzel, Xcel Energy chairman, president and CEO. “Generating power with clean natural gas allows us to use a very flexible fuel source to provide energy to a rapidly growing customer base.”

Xcel Energy said it explored “various alternatives” to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions at Harrington, but converting the plant to natural gas generation was the “best option” given the age of the plant’s three generating units. The plant was originally designed to burn both coal and natural gas, which could significantly lower the conversion expenses. The company will continue to use the existing boiler, steam turbines and electric generators, which have been in operation since the 1970s.