Arizona Public Service launches new request for clean energy proposals

Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) issued a new all source request for proposals (RFP) this week to support integrated resource planning and help the company cease the use of coal-fired generation by 2031.

“To get the right combination of resources, we need collaboration,” Justin Joiner, APS vice president of resource management, said. “The stakeholder advisory council shared important, diverse perspectives that we incorporated into the design of our new RFP. Together, we’re finding solutions to the resource complexities unfolding in the West and the driving energy demand on our system.”

Arizona is undergoing a population boom while APS is increasing its clean energy commitments. In 2020, it pledged (and is working) to add more than 1 GW of clean energy resources to its power supply, which prompted work on this new RFP. It was developed through cooperation with the APS Resource Planning Advisory Council (RPAC). That council includes local consumer advocates, university representatives, and environmental and public interest organizations.

The result is an RFP that will consider any technologies, demand-side, electric, or energy storage resources that could help APS provide more reliable, affordable electricity between 2025 and 2027. Both supply-side and non-supply side resources are viable, between 1,000-1,500 MW. Not all resources will need to be clean, but between 600 and 800 MW will need to be renewably sourced.

These updates could affect the more than 1.3 million homes and businesses in APS service territory.