Hearings for SRP Application for Coolidge Expansion Project to Begin on Feb. 7
Proposed Project to Provide Critically Needed Reliable Power to the Rapidly Growing Valley During Times of Peak Electricity Demand
In mid-December, Salt River Project filed an application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) for the proposed expansion of the Coolidge Generating Station.
Approved by the SRP Board in September, the proposed Coolidge Expansion Project (CEP) will allow SRP to meet the significant and increasing near-term capacity needs in its service territory, which is among the fastest growing regions in the nation. The project will also facilitate the addition of more renewable energy resources while maintaining reliability of the power grid.
The expansion would include construction of 16 gas turbines with a capacity of 820 megawatts of power generation and would leverage the existing Coolidge Generating Station site and infrastructure, located near the intersection of Randolph Road and South Arizona Boulevard in Coolidge, Arizona. The flexible, quick-start nature of these turbines allows one or more to power up to help meet customer electricity demand in different system conditions, including during times of peak demand or when there is reduced output from renewable energy resources.
The ACC’s Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee will consider the application at a public hearing beginning at 1 p.m. on Feb. 7 at the Radisson Hotel Casa Grande, located at 777 North Pinal Avenue, Casa Grande, Arizona, 85122. The hearings will also be available to view online or by phone. Visit srpnet.com/CEP and azcc.gov for Zoom links and more information regarding the hearing schedule.
The hearing will continue Feb. 8, 2022, at 9 a.m. and each following weekday through completion of the hearing (please check azcc.gov for hearing start times). Due to COVID-19, the public is strongly encouraged to participate by either watching the hearing online or listening to the hearing via telephone.
Public comment will be taken in a special evening session beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 via phone, Zoom or in person at the Radisson Hotel Casa Grande. Public comment may also be taken at the beginning of each hearing day, or at other times during the hearing, at the discretion of the Committee.
Additionally, the Committee may tour the project area. If the Committee decides to do so, the map and itinerary of any such tour will be available at the hearing and posted on the project website at srpnet.com/CEP. Members of the public who wish to observe the tour are encouraged to notify SRP or the Chairman in advance of their intention to follow and observe the tour.
Following the hearings, the siting committee will issue or deny the certificate, which requires final approval by the ACC.
The public hearing and public comment session will follow Centers for Disease Control, as well as state and local, guidelines addressing COVID-19.
Please visit srpnet.com/CEP or call (888) 705-1509 for additional project details and the application. Information can also be found on the ACC website at azcc.gov.
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area’s largest supplier of water, delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users.