About the facilities

The Abel site will be developed to come online in stages between 2012 and 2016. SRP plans to construct a simple-cycle peaking plant consisting of seven to eight natural-gas-fueled generating turbines. In addition to the turbines, the plant sites will have limited fuel storage tanks, water treatment equipment, water storage facilities and a plant control building.

The Pinal Central site will be developed at a time, to be determined by resource need between 2014 and 2022. It is expected to be a combined-cycle, natural-gas-fueled plant of up approximately 1150 megawatts.

Find out about the environmental considerations.

Natural gas

The El Paso and/or Transwestern pipeline systems will supply natural gas to the Pinal locations. It will be necessary to build a short connecting line from the main pipelines to each of the locations.

The planned projects will not negatively affect natural gas supplies in the area.

Plant appearance

Generally speaking, residents would see a new industrial facility with buildings, stacks and electrical facilities. Examples of facilities that use similar technologies are APS's Sundance Plant east of Coolidge and SRP's Desert Basin Plant in Casa Grande.

Natural gas power plants are generally smaller, cleaner and less obtrusive than older coal-fired plants. Design details are being worked out and will be shared with the public as soon as possible.

Lighting at the plant

All lighting for the facilities will be designed with our neighbors in mind. At urban plants, SRP installs manual switching on outside lighting so that plant staff can switch on those lights only when work in specific areas is necessary.

Plant noise

SRP realizes that some noise is associated with the construction of new plants and will take steps to minimize the effects on the surrounding community. Construction hours are limited to the terms of noise ordinance for the respective communities.

SRP has plants in communities now and receives very few inquiries regarding noise. During special circumstances, such as concrete pours - which must be done continuously until complete - construction will be required around-the-clock. Be assured that SRP will work to inform our neighbors of activity throughout any construction. The SRP staff works diligently to keep special activities to a minimum and will design the normal plant operations to minimize impact on the local community.

Traffic impact

There will be an increase in site activity during the construction phase of the project. However, the normal operation of the facility will not result in a significant increase in traffic. While the increase during construction will be short-term, a mitigation plan will be developed prior to construction activities.

Safety and security implications

SRP has an extensive safety program for its employees and facilities. Safety is a corporate initiative against which SRP's success is continually measured.

Plant personnel are highly skilled professionals who are trained in all aspects of plant safety. The generating technology at the plants may require chemicals - such as sodium hypochlorite, sulfuric acid and aqueous ammonia. The first two are used for water treatment; ammonia is used with the air quality control equipment. The storage, use and disposal of all chemicals will comply with all applicable environmental and health regulations. No chemicals will be disposed of on site.

As with all SRP facilities, lighting, fencing and other security measures will be factored in to the overall facility design to keep the facility secure and safe for the community.

Meeting peak load

Meeting "peak" load means that facilities generate power during times of high or peak demand. For SRP, this typically means the afternoons of the hottest summer days. One of the most effective ways of meeting peak load is through simple-cycle peaking plants.

In the simple-cycle process, natural gas is converted into electricity by burning gas to create heat to drive turbine rotors connected to an electrical generator. Simple cycle units have the advantage of versatility, as they can be brought on line in as little as 20 minutes. Peaking facilities are expected to operate less than 50% of the time during the year. An example of a peaking facility is the Sundance Power Plant near Coolidge.

Meeting intermediate load

Intermediate load includes the peak periods, but also includes "shoulder" times, where electricity use is significant, but less than the peaks.

One way of providing generation for intermediate loads is through "combined-cycle" natural-gas units. These units produce power in two cycles. The first is through a turbine fueled by natural gas. The second is through another turbine fueled by steam produced by the waste heat of the gas turbine. A combined cycle unit has the advantage of producing power with greater efficiency, but has the disadvantage of longer start up times.

Intermediate facilities are expected to operate approximately 75% of the time. An example of a combined cycle unit is the Desert Basin Generating Station in Casa Grande.