Colorado Springs Utilities planned to break ground this spring on a massive new natural gas power plant near the Colorado Springs Airport. Instead, the project may have to find a new home.

A plume study commissioned by Utilities and a safety risk management panel earlier this year both reported that the emissions from the proposed Horizon Power Plant could pose a “high-risk hazard for light-sport aircraft.” Utilities would likely have to make major mitigation changes to the project or find an alternate location for a plant large enough to generate 400 megawatts of power for Colorado Springs.

The Horizon plant was originally set to be built southeast of the airport near the intersection of Drennan Road and Marksheffel Road, at a site called the Horizon Utility Campus. The area currently holds a single power substation for Utilities.

“We have identified other potential locations for this new generation, including the Williams Creek area east of Fountain, and we will continue to evaluate all viable options to determine the best path forward for our utility and the community,” Utilities spokesperson Amy Trinidad said in a statement Friday.

Last March, Utilities awarded a $600 million contract to ProEnergy Services to build the natural gas generators for Horizon. The power plant was expected to generate up to 400 megawatts of power using natural gas, the second-largest output for any single plant run by Colorado Springs Utilities after the 460 megawatt capacity of the Front Range Power Plant south of Fountain.

After a third-party study found risks associated with the plume output from the power plant, Utilities followed the Federal Aviation Administration’s recommended process by creating a safety risk management panel. The panel was led by airport officials and included Utilities staff, FAA representatives and airport users.

Deputy Chief of Staff Ryan Trujillo, who participated in the panel meeting in March, said the risks were specifically about the temperature and velocity of the emissions from the generators. Trujillo said the group looked at multiple suggestions about how to mitigate the plume risks on that side of the airport.

“It’s a very impactful project for the city and has huge implications either way, so it’s something we wanted to take careful consideration on,” Trujillo said.

A draft version of the risk report was provided to the city last week and a final version is expected around April 24.

According to Colorado Springs Utilities’ website, the power plant was expected to start construction by June and bring the power generators online in 2028. Utilities would also have to rename the power plant if it were no longer based at the Horizon facility.

Trinidad said that Utilities was still planning to continue the other phase of work at the Horizon campus, which will add a 100 megawatt battery storage system for the power grid. Trinidad said they expect to break ground on the battery project during the summer.