SRP to provide expanded customer group with 100MW of solar energy

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 19, 2020

Salt River Project recently announced 21 commercial, municipal and school district customers have signed agreements to get a portion of their energy from solar power. A total of 100 megawatts of solar energy will soon be helping to power operations at these organizations.

This is the second phase of SRP’s Sustainable Energy Offering, which is part of the public power utility’s ongoing commitment to provide commercial customers with the option to obtain clean, emission-free energy at an affordable price.

The first phase, announced in 2018, included 12 companies and municipalities from across different industries.

With the addition of the 21 companies during this second phase, a total of 33 companies have signed up to receive approximately 300 MW of solar energy. The energy will be provided from facilities to be developed in Arizona.

The offering allows SRP to share the benefits of large-scale renewable resources with its diverse customer base. The companies range from school districts/higher education and technology to agriculture and governmental agencies and from data centers to grocery, defense contracting, telecom and hospitals.

The offering will also help customers achieve their sustainability goals, reduce carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy while sharing the economic benefits of a utility-scale, renewable energy resource.

The solar resources contribute to SRP’s 2035 Sustainability Goals to reduce carbon intensity by more than 60% in 2035 and by 90% in 2050 from 2005 levels. SRP is also on track to complete the goal of adding 1,000 MW of new utility-scale, solar energy to its system by the end of fiscal year 2025.

The solar energy for the phase two group of customers will be generated by Central Line Solar, a 100-MW, solar plant to be built in Eloy, Ariz. by sPower and scheduled to achieve commercial operation in December 2021.

Participating phase 2 customers include, among others, Apple Inc., PepsiCo, Boeing, Chandler Unified School District, Target Corporation, City of Tempe, Wells Fargo Bank and Verizon Communications.