Photo from Tribune archives / Cholla Generating Station ceased power production last month and has begun the process of complete decommissioning. The plant. President Trump's announcement may impact that process.
Photo from Tribune archives / Cholla Generating Station ceased power production last month and has begun the process of complete decommissioning. The plant. President Trump's announcement may impact that process.
Photo from Tribune archives / Prior to 1960, the land that later became the site of Cholla Generating Station consisted of signs of older times including an old adobe farmhouse and weathered wagon wheels.
This locomotive was the main one in use at Cholla Generating Station when it opened, transporting coal from Window Rock to Joseph City.
Cholla Generating Station under construction in the early 1960s. The power plant provided a very good livelihood for hundreds of workers over the past 60-plus years.

Hundreds of thousands of travelers pass the Cholla Generating Station every year as they drive along Interstate 40 watching its towers stretch above the desert landscape. Last week, after more than six decades of serving communities across Arizona, the plant fully closed its coal-burning operations.

Its origins date to the early 1960s, when construction began on Unit 1 in Joseph City. By the early 1980s, the site had grown to include four distinct units, each one marking a stage in the evolution of Arizona’s energy needs. The boilers were fed with coal from mines near Window Rock but on the other side of the New Mexico border. In those busier years, Cholla produced enough electricity to power more than 160,000 homes, a feat that required the efforts of at least 250 employees.

Over the years, the Joseph City Unified School District benefited from the tax dollars and community support generated by plant operations, which helped fund local programs and services. Its departure from active service leaves behind a legacy forged by the people who worked there and the community that continues to reflect on its decades of economic and community contribution.

Operations began to shift in recent years as Arizona Public Service weighed economic realities, regulatory guidelines, and the broader shift toward renewables and other lower-cost options. One of the units was retired in 2016, and another owned by Pacificorp shut down in 2020. These steps gradually reduced the plant’s output and staffing levels.

Now, APS says 56 employees are still employed at Cholla and will be working on finalizing the retirement of the plant. In time, additional decisions may be made about retrofitting or repurposing the site, but for now, APS will retain ownership and maintain the existing infrastructure, including Cholla Lake, in order to allow flexibility for any future energy endeavors.

Many in the region remember how significant the plant was for local employment and growth, even as they look ahead to the possibilities that might emerge with the property’s next chapter.