SRP Selects Operation Plan for Coronado Generating Station
Units 1 and 2 to Run on Existing Selective Catalytic Reduction until 2032
SRP will "split" current SCR on site to adequately process emissions from both units at considerable cost savings
Capacity at CGS will help meet customer demand growing at a rate three times that of national average
Operation of each generating unit at CGS will be curtailed annually until the plant closes in 2032
SRP has selected an operational strategy for the Coronado Generating Station (CGS) in St. John’s that will reliably and economically meet customer load growth projected to grow at three times the national average while allowing SRP to meet its 2035 Sustainability Goals to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 60 percent.
CGS is currently operating under an approved Arizona state implementation plant interim strategy for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from Unit 1 that involves annual curtailment of its operations during the winter months. SRP must implement a final strategy requiring SRP to either install selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or retire Unit 1 by 2025.
The new plan will split the SCR on Unit 2 for use with Unit 1 and will include increased seasonal curtailments of the plant’s overall operation. In addition, both units will retire no later than the year 2032. This approach will result in less carbon emissions than if Unit 1 was retired in 2025.
The selected course of action will allow SRP to close other coal units, postpone the need for 380 megawatts of fossil generation to meet future peak load and provide the time necessary for the workers and communities impacted by the closure of CGS to plan for changes. It also provides time for battery storage technology to further develop as SRP continues to increase its investments in renewable energy.
SRP estimates the work to reengineer the SCR to accommodate both units will cost approximately $50 to 60 million. During the remaining life of CGS, SRP will engage with our employees and local communities to assist with planning for the plant’s closure.
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 800,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users.