News and reports
MEDIA ADVISORY
SRP seeks new generation to meet Pinal County growth
Power plants needed to provide up to 2,500 megawatts of power by 2020
To meet increasing customer demand for energy, Salt River Project has identified the need for up to 2,500 megawatts (MW) of new natural gas generation capacity through 2020. This need can be met in a number of ways, including new construction, power-purchase agreements and ownership interests in existing or new generation facilities.
Approximately 500 MW of the capacity required by SRP will be met by an agreement to purchase the output of the proposed Coolidge Generating Station by TransCanada Corp. To meet needed generating capacity, including local generation for voltage support and system reliability, SRP will consider building generating facilities at as many as three sites within Pinal County as well as possible expansion of existing sites.
The generation and the infrastructure necessary to deliver the energy is needed by SRP to help meet increasing energy demand and provide voltage support to a rapidly growing customer base in the eastern portion of SRP's service territory, much of which is located in northeastern Pinal County. The location of the facilities will allow SRP to ensure continued reliable electric service to its customers in that area.
SRP has selected three sites in Pinal County, including land near the Eloy Detention Center north of Eloy, land adjacent to the planned Pinal Central (formerly Pinal South) Substation south of Coolidge, and land adjacent to the planned Abel (formerly Southeast Valley) Substation north of Florence and located within SRP's electric service territory. Details of project development will be determined this summer during a public process that will allow for new generation to be operating as early as the summer of 2012.
In selecting potential sites for the new generating facilities, SRP considered a number of variables including environmental factors, access to transmission and natural gas supplies, availability of water supplies and the opportunities for banking water, proximity to existing development, and industrial designations and land-use plans.
"Demand for electricity, both in terms of overall numbers of customers and individual energy use, continues to grow rapidly in our service territory," said John Coggins, SRP's manager of resource planning. "We must develop new generating resources that will not only meet customer demand during the hot summer months, but also will provide necessary voltage support for our electric system."
As part of the process to site the facilities, SRP will initiate an extensive public process that will begin with the following public open houses:
- Tuesday, June 10
4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Eloy Elementary School
111 N. Sunshine Blvd., Eloy
- Wednesday, June 11
4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Copper Basin Elementary School
28682 N. Main St., Queen Creek
- Thursday, June 12
4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Mary C. O'Brien School
1400 N. 11-Mile Corner Road, Casa Grande
The public process will culminate with a hearing before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee. A final decision on whether to grant a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for any power plant and its associated transmission lines will be decided at an open meeting of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
SRP is the third-largest public power utility in the nation, serving more than 935,000 electric customers in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.