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Most people know who their electric utility is, but even if they are Salt River Project (SRP) customers, they do not know there is a huge election coming up on April 2nd. They also very rarely know that SRP is not regulated by anyone, including the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), which regulates Arizona Public Service (APS). SRP is almost as big as APS with more than 1 million customers and is one of the largest public power utilities in the United States. It is also a monopoly like APS, but it gets to govern itself. The only check on its activities is its board of directors. For years the board of directors has been so friendly to the utilities’ management, there is effectively zero oversight of this unregulated monopoly.
I have been out knocking on doors for the last couple of weeks to increase voter turnout and despite talking to dozens of ratepayers, I have only met 2 people that knew there was an upcoming election. I also have not knocked on a single door that has had rooftop solar, despite living in the sunniest state in the country, and over 260,000 homes in Arizona have rooftop solar. Both facts are due to SRP policies. The board of directors is elected by SRP ratepayers. There are 14 board members and about half of them are up for election every other year in even numbered years. Only about half of SRP customers are eligible to vote and of those, less than 1% do so. The low voter turnout is largely due to very few people know about the election, and SRP makes it hard to vote. They do not just mail ballots out to eligible voters. Eligible voters have to request a ballot in advance. They also do not allow renters to vote. The board is the only oversight for the utility. The board oversees your rates, the types of power SRP uses to provide electricity like coal or renewables, and the board sets policy. For years, SRP has had some of the worst policies in the state. SRP has the weakest clean energy goals of any major utility in Arizona. SRP is the only major utility in the state without a date to exit all coal. SRP has the worst solar policy of any major utility in the state. It takes years longer for your rooftop solar to pay for itself than if you had APS. SRP raised rates last year due to higher fossil fuel costs and announced this month they are collecting $243.1 million more than budgeted. About half of Arizona’s carbon emissions are attributable to utilities. Therefore, whether you care about the environment, air quality, public health, energy independence, or just want to save money on your bills, there is reason to participate in the upcoming SRP board election. You must request your ballot by March 22nd. Even if you think you are on the early voting list, sign up again to confirm. SRP will begin to mail ballots on March 6th. You need to complete both ballots and return them in the correct envelopes. You must mail your ballots back in advance, because ballots must be received on or before election day, April 2nd. You can also vote in person at SRP (1500 N Mill Avenue in Tempe) on April 2nd. Several candidates are committed to advancing clean energy. But no matter who you vote for, make sure to vote. Request your early ballot today. With such a small voter turnout, your vote can dramatically impact the outcome of the election.
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Salt River Project
1500 N. Mill Avenue Tempe, AZ 85288 RE: Integrated System Plan and Stakeholder Engagement Salt River Project and Board, The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) requested to be a part of the Integrated System Plan (ISP) stakeholder group in 2022. That request was denied. AriSEIA also requested to be included in the Sustainability Advisory Council and, to date, that has also not been granted. It is unclear why AriSEIA continues to be excluded from all formal SRP stakeholder processes. Therefore, AriSEIA submits the following comments on Item 4 of the October 2nd Board Meeting: SRP should be required to issue All Source Requests for Proposals (ASRFPs) for all major procurements of generating resources. Those ASRFPs should be vetted through the ISP stakeholder process, as Arizona Public Service (APS) has started to do. The ISP stakeholder process should not exclude stakeholders that request inclusion, especially if they are well established organizations that participate in the resource planning processes of every other major utility in the state. Additionally, no stakeholder process should purposely exclude an entire stakeholder segment, such as renewable energy organizations. Such a stance needlessly excludes valuable expertise from what should be a technically robust process. Meetings should also be virtual or hybrid. In person meetings, such as has been the case for the last two, exclude many stakeholders. Stakeholders that are out of the Phoenix metro area, have small children, or cannot devote multiple hours to commuting to and from SRP are excluded. The other major utilities all have remote options for stakeholder participation. Further, the ISP stakeholder process should be meaningful. There should be an exchange of information in both directions and the utility should be willing to make modifications based on stakeholder feedback, run requested portfolios, and provide the modeling inputs and results to stakeholders. Board members should familiarize themselves with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) process and should hold SRP to a similar standard, as you all serve as the regulator of SRP. SRP has been holding meetings on the ISP for more than two years. The board should be voting on a resource plan, not three vague slides called “strategies.” That is not adequate oversight of an unregulated monopoly. The “strategies” provide no meaningful information as to what the utility plans to do regarding RFPs, procurement, or implementation of their sustainability goals. The 2017-2019 resource plan was much more detailed and it completely neglected major procurements, such as the Coolidge expansion. SRP is the only major utility in the state that does not have an exit date for all coal; does not have a mass based carbon emissions goal; and has pursued major gas plant expansions that were never in a resource plan or RFP. The board should demand that the company do better. You are the only oversight on the second largest utility in the state. Sincerely, /s/ Autumn T. Johnson Executive Director AriSEIA (520) 240-4757 [email protected] Arizona Corporation Commission
1200 W. Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007-2996 RE: Salt River Project (SRP) Coolidge Expansion Project Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC), Docket No. L-00000B-21-0393-00197 Chairman O’Connor and Commissioners, The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) filed joint comments opposing the SRP CEC on March 11, 2022. That filing is attached, as is a filing from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on March 14, 2022. None of the underlying reasons for our opposition have been resolved and we remain opposed to SRP’s Application to Amend Decision 78545, filed on June 14, 2023. First, we are concerned with how quickly this application was filed and then docketed for an open meeting. We received notice of this filing at 4:30 pm on June 14th. We received notice of it being on the revised June open meeting agenda at 10:06 am on June 15th, which is only six (6) calendar days before the open meeting and three (3) business days before the open meeting. This is an inadequate amount of time for interested parties to respond and a vote should not be taken at the June 21st open meeting. Further, SRP has clearly known about this arrangement much longer than other interested stakeholders, which is reflected in the fact that their supporters had ample warning to file supportive comments in the docket. This is not the case and a significant disadvantage for those in opposition. Finally on this topic, it is worth noting that almost all of their letters in support are the same organizations that supported granting the CEC before any proposed settlement. Therefore, their support is not contingent on the settlement or anything that has happened since the CEC was filed in 2021. Second, none of the underlying reasons why AriSEIA opposed the CEC in the first place have been addressed. SRP first proposed the Coolidge Expansion Project two years ago in the summer of 2021. One of our largest complaints was that SRP made the decision to invest nearly $1 billion dollars in almost 1 GW of new gas at the Coolidge Generating Station with no competitive bidding process in violation of their own Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). It has been two years and SRP has issued multiple all-source requests for proposals (ASRFPs) since and they have still not solicited or made public any bids to substantiate this project or its massive cost. There is simply no legitimate reason why SRP could not have done so in the last two years. It is highly unlikely that this Commission would allow Arizona Public Service (APS) or Tucson Electric Power (TEP) to do similarly with no competitive bidding process. Third, the statutes that permit the CEC review clearly state that the Commission shall consider the cost of the facilities when determining to grant the CEC. SRP has never provided a rate impact analysis regarding this project. We simply do not know how much it will cost ratepayers. Further, SRP has not docketed any data that reflects the total cost of the project nearly two years later. If the project was $1 billion in 2021, how much does it cost now with 1) significantly increased interest rates, 2) millions of dollars in negotiated concessions, and 3) the dramatic increase in fuel prices we have seen in both TEP and APS fuel adjustor dockets, as well as the increase SRP’s board also voted to pass recently for their own fuel adjustor? It is not prudent to only include capital costs. Any resource acquisition should also include the operations and maintenance (O&M) costs for that plant/resource, as ratepayers pay the total cost. It is simply imprudent to grant this CEC now. SRP should complete its currently pending IRP (called Integrated System Plan or ISP by SRP) process to determine what resources are needed and when and then should issue an ASRFP like every other utility in the state to determine the best project at the lowest cost. If the winning proposal is for a thermal resource, SRP should apply for a CEC, as required. There is no reason for the Commission to deviate from a process it would require of TEP and APS for SRP, certainly not for a CEC that has already been denied twice by this Commission and lost in court, as well. Attached are two letters filed in opposition in March of 2022. As the Commission makeup has changed since, please review them. Please do not vote on the SRP’s CEC application to amend at the June open meeting and when you do vote, please vote no. Respectfully, /s/ Autumn T. Johnson Executive Director AriSEIA (520) 240-4757 [email protected] To Members of the Salt River Project Board and SRP Management,
Attached please find the People’s Energy Plan to provide clean energy alternatives to the proposed portfolios currently being considered by Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP) in your Integrated System Plan (ISP). The proposed portfolios we present are supported by various communities and stakeholders, including those who have signed this letter, who are concerned about a clean energy future for Arizona. Strategen, a consulting firm focused on decarbonizing energy systems, has done the modeling and analysis for the People’s Energy Plan. The People’s Energy Plan presents a comprehensive and detailed resource plan that lays out a roadmap for how SRP can meet its clean energy obligations to SRP ratepayers and stakeholders, as well as the people of Arizona. SRP has the potential today to help Arizona address climate change. The People’s Energy Plan is a culmination of direct feedback from everyday hardworking people, community leaders and stakeholders who have strongly voiced what they would like to see from SRP as the Integrated System Plan moves forward. Unfortunately, SRP has been doubling down on fossil fuels with its efforts to expand the Coolidge Generating Station with 16 additional gas units that would contribute to environmental injustice in the community of Randolph, a proposal to keep the Coronado Generating Station running longer, gas expansions at Agua Fria and Desert Basin, and most recently, proposed gas at Copper Crossing. SRP’s plans to spread out gas turbines to various locations in smaller configurations come at a higher cost for ratepayers and avoids oversight by the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee and the Arizona Corporation Commission. This is the wrong direction for a utility that indicates it is dedicated to sustainability. The People’s Energy Plan provides a reliable alternative to more gas and continued reliance on coal and finds the following:
Recommendations in the People’s Energy Plan include minimizing investments in new gas, reassessing the retirement dates for coal-fired generating units at Four Corners and Coronado, continuing to support demand side resources, setting more meaningful carbon reduction targets, and exploring the incentives available through the Inflation Reduction Act. We invite SRP leadership and Board members to thoroughly review the People’s Energy Plan and engage with the People’s Energy Plan coalition to ensure that the ISP represents a fair and transparent process that results in the cleanest and most equitable possible path forward for Arizonans. We expect the People’s Energy Plan will be a useful resource that SRP can implement to benefit ratepayers, Arizona communities, and the environment. SRP can and should be a leader among the state’s utilities in developing clean renewable energy, promoting energy efficiency, and integrating further adoption of distributed energy resources. The People’s Energy Plan demonstrates how SRP can achieve these goals and move away from reliance on coal and gas. Salt River Project
1500 N. Mill Avenue Tempe, AZ 85288 RE: Integrated System Plan and Stakeholder Engagement Salt River Project and Board, The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) requests inclusion in Salt River Project’s (SRP) Integrated System Plan (ISP) Advisory Group. AriSEIA has previously requested inclusion in the ISP Advisory Group on more than one occasion beginning in January of 2022. We have been told that we cannot participate in the Advisory Group because SRP seeks to “have focused engagement from a diverse, but small group of SRP customers and community stakeholders.” However, as you can see from the list of stakeholders [above], there are zero participants that represent the renewables sector; no companies or nonprofit organizations.[1] Further, the Advisory Group size is not unwieldy or even on the larger size of stakeholder groups run by other utilities. AriSEIA has been included in the Arizona Public Service (APS) and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) resource planning processes. And other utilities, such as Idaho Power, keep their meetings open to anyone interested and have not found it to be burdensome. Many of the entities on the current Advisory Group are not actively engaged, thereby further reducing the burden the inclusion of AriSEIA may hypothetically pose. AriSEIA has also not been included in the Sustainability 2035 Advisory Council. Renewables play a key role in the clean energy transition and the lack of inclusion of any renewables stakeholders is inadequate. We request inclusion in the ISP Advisory Group, as well as the Sustainability Advisory Council. Participation in the very infrequent, public meetings is insufficient, as it does not provide ample opportunity to participate in any of the modeling discussions, where key decisions are made. Sincerely, /s/ Autumn T. Johnson Executive Director AriSEIA (520) 240-4757 [email protected] [1] SRP Meeting 3 Presentation, 1.19.2022, available here https://www.srpnet.com/assets/srpnet/pdf/grid-water-management/grid-management/isp/ISP-Advisory-Group-Meeting-3-Presentation.pdf. March 27, 2022
Arizona Corporation Commission 1200 W. Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 Re: Salt River Project (SRP) Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC), Docket No. L-00000B-21-0393-00197 Madam Chair and Commissioners, Our organizations submit these joint comments to urge you to deny SRP’s CEC rehearing request. We support the Commission’s decision on April 12th to deny SRP’s CEC. The reasons for that denial remain. To summarize our opposition to the CEC:
Like SRP, nearly every large utility in Arizona is both experiencing and projecting load growth. Unlike SRP, other utilities are not proposing major gas expansions to meet demand. Utilities around the country are investing in storage[5] and they are doing it within the same timeframe as the CEP.[6] Unfortunately, some AriSEIA members have incurred substantial delays and large costs because of SRP’s unfamiliarity with storage. This is a missed opportunity we hope SRP chooses to correct, instead of pursuing major gas investments. Stakeholders stand ready to engage with SRP when it is ready to comply with its own IRP and conduct a competitive bidding process for new resources. We also encourage all utilities to allow stakeholder review of all-source RFPs before their release, as Arizona Public Service (APS) has done with its most recent RFP. We ask the Commission to deny this CEC rehearing request. Respectfully, Autumn T. Johnson Executive Director Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) [email protected] 520-240-4757 Bret Fanshaw Western Region Director Solar United Neighbors (SUN) [email protected] 602-962-0240 Yaraneth Marin Interior West Regional Director Vote Solar [email protected] 602-492-6077 [1] Salt River Project, Integrated Resource Plan Report, P.49, available here https://srpnet.com/about/stations/pdfx/2018irp.pdf. [2] February 15, 2022 Hearing Transcript, starting at P.1118, L.9-10, available here https://srpnet.com/electric/transmission/projects/Coolidge/pdfx/cec/07_02-15-2022_SRP_Coolidge_Expansion_Evidentiary_Hearing.pdf. [3] Id. at 1121, L.1-3. [4] ARS 40-360.06(A)(8) available here https://www.azleg.gov/ars/40/00360-06.htm. [5]See PV and Energy Storage Expected to Comprise 62% of US Capacity Additions 2022-23, PV Magazine, available here https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/12/28/pv-and-energy-storage-expected-to-comprise-62-of-us-capacity-additions-2022-23/; US Energy Storage Developers Plan 9 GW in 2022, Building on 2021 Breakthrough, S&P Global, available here https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/us-energy-storage-developers-plan-9-gw-in-2022-building-on-2021-breakthrough-68012433; Solar and Battery Storage Make Up 60% of Planned New US Electric Generation Capacity, Electrek, available here https://electrek.co/2022/03/07/solar-and-battery-storage-make-up-60-of-planned-new-us-electric-generation-capacity/#:~:text=Power%20plant%20developers%20and%20operators,Energy%20Information%20Administration%20(EIA); Trends to Watch in Energy Storage in 2022, Utility Dive, available here https://www.utilitydive.com/spons/trends-to-watch-in-energy-storage-in-2022/610870/. [6] California Regulator CPUC Approves Utility SCE’s Fast-Tracked 500MW BESS Projects, Energy Storage, available here https://www.energy-storage.news/california-regulator-cpuc-approves-utility-sces-fast-tracked-500mw-bess-projects/. March 11, 2022
Arizona Corporation Commission 1200 W. Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 Re: Salt River Project (SRP) Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC), Docket No. L-00000B-21-0393-00197 Madam Chair and Commissioners, Our organizations submit these joint comments to urge you to vote no on SRP’s CEC application. Not only did SRP not engage in a competitive bidding process and not comply with its own 2018 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), but it did not adequately consider alternatives to the Coolidge Expansion Project (CEP). This leaves serious concerns about the estimated cost of the facilities and the potential increase in the cost of electric energy to customers. SRP’s 2017-2018 IRP Report states that, “Prior to making any financial commitments to major equipment or construction contracts for new-build generation, [SRP will] issue all-source RFPs [Request for Proposal] for the planned capacity. That capacity will explicitly include the opportunity for cost competitive and viable energy storage and demand response options.”[1] No all-source RFP was issued prior to the decision to expand Coolidge Generating Station by 820 MW. Shortly after the SRP Board voted to narrowly approve this project, SRP issued an all-source RFP for an additional 1000 MW to come online between 2024 and 2026.[2] It is unclear why SRP can issue an all-source RFP for these megawatts, but not the Coolidge megawatts given that both projects were announced within months of each other and are intended to come online within the same time frame. There was considerable testimony at the hearing that SRP did not adequately consider alternatives to this 820 MW expansion of Coolidge. Witness Mr. Robert Gramlich testified that not only did SRP not adequately consider alternatives, but that solar and storage would have been more economical.[3] Specifically, he testified that “SRP’s economic analysis overstated the need for clean resources by a factor of 3 or 4.”[4] “So the economic analysis was distorted by overstating the capacity needed for the renewables and storage.”[5] “A battery would have been more economic than CEP.”[6] Mr. Gramlich went on to testify that SRP did not adequately consider the analysis of its own consultant, E3, in assessing the alternatives to the Coolidge expansion. “E3 found that adding only 731 MW of battery capacity in 2026 provides the same capacity value as the 820 MW CEP.”[7] Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 40-360.06(A)(8) states that the Committee shall consider “The estimated cost of the facilities and site as proposed by the applicant and the estimated cost of the facilities and site as recommended by the committee, recognizing that any significant increase in costs represents a potential increase in the cost of electric energy to the customers or the applicant.”[8] Further, ARS 30-360.07(B) states that the Commission shall “comply with the provisions of section 40-360.06 and shall balance, in the broad public interest, the need for an adequate, economical and reliable supply of electric power with the desire to minimize the effect thereof on the environment and ecology of this state.”[9] Therefore, the Commission must consider the cost of the project and the economics of supplying that electric power. Because SRP did not conduct an all-source RFP, the Commission does not have adequate information about the alternatives to this project and the potential for a less costly option, such as solar and storage, that would save customers money and better protect the environment and ecology of the state. Approval of the CEC application risks locking customers into significant new costs without evidence that the CEP is the right choice to meet the identified capacity need. We ask the Commission to vote no on this CEC application and direct SRP to proceed with an all-source RFP to consider the best available option for adding 820 MW between now and 2025. Respectfully, Autumn T. Johnson Executive Director Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) [email protected] 520-240-4757 Bret Fanshaw Western Region Director Solar United Neighbors (SUN) [email protected] 602-962-0240 Yaraneth Marin Interior West Regional Director Vote Solar [email protected] 602-492-6077 [1] Salt River Project, Integrated Resource Plan Report, P.49, available here https://srpnet.com/about/stations/pdfx/2018irp.pdf. [2] Salt River Project, 2021 All-Source Request for Proposals, available here https://srpnet.com/energy/secure/all-resource-rfp.aspx. [3] February 15, 2022 Hearing Transcript, starting at P.1116, available here https://srpnet.com/electric/transmission/projects/Coolidge/pdfx/cec/07_02-15-2022_SRP_Coolidge_Expansion_Evidentiary_Hearing.pdf. [4] Id. at 1118, L.3-4. [5] Id. L. 6-8. [6] Id. L.9-10. [7] Id. at 1121, L.1-3. [8] ARS 40-360.06(A)(8) available here https://www.azleg.gov/ars/40/00360-06.htm. [9] ARS 40-360.07(B) available here https://www.azleg.gov/ars/40/00360-07.htm. |
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The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association representing the solar, storage, and electrification industry, solar-friendly businesses, and others interested in advancing complementary technologies in Arizona. The group's focus is on education, professionalism and promotion of public policies that support deployment of solar, storage, and electrification technologies and renewable energy job growth and creation. |
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