Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power announced that they will be working together to explore adding nuclear generation in Arizona.
The utilities have been monitoring emerging nuclear technologies and have a shared interest in evaluating their potential to support growing energy needs in the state, they said in a joint news release.
APS is leading the effort in collaboration with SRP and TEP to assess a wide range of possible locations, including at the sites of retiring coal plants.
“Nuclear energy is and will continue to be a valuable part of a diverse energy mix, providing reliable and clean energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the utilities said.
“SRP is exploring all options to meet the growing energy needs of the Phoenix metropolitan area affordably, reliably and sustainably,” said Jim Pratt, SRP General Manager and CEO. “We appreciate the collaboration with our neighboring utilities to help determine the role new nuclear generation could play in powering Arizona’s future.”
Siting work for additional nuclear would consider small modular reactors and potential large reactor projects.
SMRs, which are smaller than traditional nuclear power reactors, generate 300 megawatts or less of energy per unit. For comparison, each unit at Palo Verde Generating Station, located west of Phoenix, is able to generate 1,400 MW.
The utilities have applied for a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to begin preliminary exploration of a potential site for additional nuclear energy for Arizona.
The application has been submitted under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations & Office of Nuclear Energy’s Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor program.
If approved, the grant would support a three-year site selection process and possible preparation of an early site permit application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The grant application is an initial step in a larger collaborative effort by the utilities to explore the possibility of adding reliable, efficient and clean nuclear energy in the state, they noted.
This joint effort could see the selection of a preferred nuclear site in the late 2020s, at the earliest, potentially enabling additional nuclear to be in operation in the early 2040s.
“The three Arizona utilities will continue their collaboration on charting a path to meet Arizonans’ energy needs into the future,” the news release said.
