Arizona

IEEFA Research

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

Commission’s 21-year-old pipeline policy puts contracts ahead of utility customers

December 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — The federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipeline projects is basing its decisions on contracts rather than on today’s consumer energy needs or the public interest, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—FERC’s Failure to Analyze Energy Market Forces—details […]

, and December 17, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Virginia coal plant’s future isn’t bright: preparation for transition should commence now

IEEFA U.S.: Virginia coal plant’s future isn’t bright: preparation for transition should commence now

Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC), one of the newest in U.S., risks closure due to market forces

December 16, 2020 (IEEFA)—Retiring the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC) will bring unnecessarily abrupt economic hardship to Wise County if state and local officials do not begin to plan now for a transition, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis. The 8-year-old coal-fired power plant, owned by […]

, and December 16, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments

IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments

Tri-State currently plans using coal through 2050 and expanding into gas; projected rate increases of 55% by 2050

Nov. 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — One of the biggest power suppliers to rural electric co-ops in the U.S. is putting its business model at risk as members clamor for better access to renewable energy, more affordable rates, and more say in how they buy or produce power, concludes a report released today by the Institute […]

and November 17, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Plummeting oil and gas prices leave New Mexico’s budget short by hundreds of millions of dollars

IEEFA U.S.: Plummeting oil and gas prices leave New Mexico’s budget short by hundreds of millions of dollars

Industry problems hit before the pandemic, were made worse by it and will persist even after the economy improves

October 20, 2020 (IEEFA) — After years of benefitting from record oil and gas revenues, global markets are signaling the beginning of the end of New Mexico’s financial reliance on fossil fuels. Leases, royalty payments and taxes from the oil and gas industry have directly accounted for as much as 30 percent of the state’s […]

and October 20, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA: New Mexico’s biggest utility moves forcefully toward solar

IEEFA: New Mexico’s biggest utility moves forcefully toward solar

Four projects totaling 950 megawatts will replace San Juan Generating Station; likelihood of coal plant carbon-capture retrofit further diminished

October 12, 2020 (IEEFA) — An aggressive expansion into utility-scale solar by Public Service Company of New Mexico will replace all of the power PNM will lose when the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) closes in June 2022, concludes a research brief published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. PNM’s […]

and October 12, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S: NTEC acquisition of aging Four Corners coal plant would constitute ‘another expensive mistake’

IEEFA U.S: NTEC acquisition of aging Four Corners coal plant would constitute ‘another expensive mistake’

Report: Throwing good money after bad in New Mexico

July 15, 2020 (IEEFA) — The Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) would lose at least $350 million over the next 10 years if it proceeds with a proposal to expand its stake in the ailing Four Corners power plant, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). NTEC, according […]

and July 15, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA report: Utility-scale solar remains off-limits on most of more than 100 million federally-owned acres across solar-rich Southwest U.S.

IEEFA report: Utility-scale solar remains off-limits on most of more than 100 million federally-owned acres across solar-rich Southwest U.S.

Outdated policies and byzantine processes at Bureau of Land Management hinder energy transition

June 16, 2020 (IEEFA U.S.) ‒ The largest property owner in the U.S.—the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—has acreage set aside for utility-scale solar development on only 0.03% of the roughly 100 million acres it manages across the sun-rich Southwest, finds a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The […]

, , and June 16, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA Coal Outlook 2020: Market trends are pushing U.S. industry to a reckoning

IEEFA Coal Outlook 2020: Market trends are pushing U.S. industry to a reckoning

Competition, financing, consolidation, muni/co-op trajectories, export markets

March 30, 2020 (IEEFA U.S.) — A report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) sees the U.S. coal industry continuing to decline through 2020 and beyond. The report, U.S. Coal Outlook 2020: Market Trends Are Pushing Industry Ever Closer to a Reckoning, details issues that will likely persist in driving […]

, , and March 30, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S: An ‘elegant, simple, and fair’ coalfield reinvestment formula for greater Arizona

IEEFA U.S: An ‘elegant, simple, and fair’ coalfield reinvestment formula for greater Arizona

Utilities would contribute: APS ($286.2 million), Salt River Project ($247.8 million), Tucson Electric Power ($151.2 million), Arizona Power Electric Co-Op ($40.8 million)

March 24, 2020 (IEEFA U.S.) — Arizona utility company reinvestments of $726 million in coalfield community modernization would serve the economic interests of Arizonans across the board, concludes a research brief published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The brief, A Coalfield Reinvestment Formula for the Grand Canyon State, describes […]

and March 24, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA report: The case for utility-company reinvestment in Arizona’s coalfield communities

IEEFA report: The case for utility-company reinvestment in Arizona’s coalfield communities

Statewide risk as fast-moving transition sweeps across power-generation industry

March 2, 2020 (IEEFA) — Arizona utility companies that are closing coal-fired power plants must reinvest aggressively in regional coalfield communities in order to avoid local economic disarray that could affect the state’s overall financial health, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—The Case (and the […]

, and March 2, 2020 Read More →

More News and Commentary

Navajo Nation moving forward with two solar projects totaling 270MW of capacity

Associated Press: The Navajo Nation is moving forward with two more solar plants on the reservation that are expected to generate millions of dollars in revenue for the tribe over the projects’ lifetimes. Tribal leaders met at the site of the larger solar plant in Cameron on Tuesday to finalize the lease for the Cameron […]

April 9, 2021 Read More →
and

IEEFA U.S.: ‘New Promise Act’ would help communities transition from coal-based economy

O’Halleran legislation aims to cushion economic losses caused by plant closures

April 2, 2021 (IEEFA) — The recently introduced New Promise Act, sponsored by Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., marks a potentially important step forward in recognizing the need for a federal commitment to economic revitalization in communities that have been hard-hit by the decline of the coal economy. The bill, inspired by the closure of the […]

and April 2, 2021 Read More →

Arizona utility to cut output at Four Corners coal plant

Arizona Republic: The coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington, New Mexico, will provide less power to Arizona under a new operating plan, Arizona Public Service Co. said Friday. APS owns the majority of the plant and runs it for other co-owners. The company has a pledge to move to carbon-free energy sources by 2050 […]

March 15, 2021 Read More →

Arizona utility nearing completion of major solar-plus-storage project

Tucson.com: The biggest solar farm built to serve Tucson Electric Power customers is rising from the desert floor south of the city, and in a few months it will be churning out clean energy while the sun shines — and even when it doesn’t. The Wilmot Energy Center, a 100-megawatt AC photovoltaic project with 30MW […]

February 1, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs
, and

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

Commission’s 21-year-old pipeline policy puts contracts ahead of utility customers

December 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — The federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipeline projects is basing its decisions on contracts rather than on today’s consumer energy needs or the public interest, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—FERC’s Failure to Analyze Energy Market Forces—details […]

, and December 17, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Virginia coal plant’s future isn’t bright: preparation for transition should commence now
, and

IEEFA U.S.: Virginia coal plant’s future isn’t bright: preparation for transition should commence now

Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC), one of the newest in U.S., risks closure due to market forces

December 16, 2020 (IEEFA)—Retiring the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC) will bring unnecessarily abrupt economic hardship to Wise County if state and local officials do not begin to plan now for a transition, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis. The 8-year-old coal-fired power plant, owned by […]

, and December 16, 2020 Read More →

Arizona utility APS issues RFP for additional solar and battery storage

PV Tech: Arizona Public Service (APS) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for 300-400MW of renewables capacity and for energy storage to be retrofitted at its solar plants. The renewables RFP, which is open to all technologies, has been designed to address peak capacity needs of about 200-300MW per year to maintain reliable electric […]

December 16, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Decline in coal exports adds to Navajo-owned company’s problems

IEEFA U.S.: Decline in coal exports adds to Navajo-owned company’s problems

Weak demand and low prices are likely creating steep losses for NTEC

U.S. coal exports to Asia—once heralded as the saving grace for struggling coal producers in the western United States—are facing new strains from low prices and weak demand in the wake of the global COVID-19 crisis.  In its third-quarter financial statement released earlier this month, Westshore Terminals in British Columbia, the primary terminal for U.S. thermal coal […]

November 24, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments
and

IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments

Tri-State currently plans using coal through 2050 and expanding into gas; projected rate increases of 55% by 2050

Nov. 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — One of the biggest power suppliers to rural electric co-ops in the U.S. is putting its business model at risk as members clamor for better access to renewable energy, more affordable rates, and more say in how they buy or produce power, concludes a report released today by the Institute […]

and November 17, 2020 Read More →

Arizona utility proposes $144 million transition fund for communities hit by coal power plant closures

Arizona Republic: Arizona Public Service is proposing to offer $144 million in help to three coal-country and tribal communities where the company eventually will close its remaining coal-burning power plants. The plan would not only provide large investments in the Navajo Nation, Hopi tribe and Joseph City area, but also includes plans to retain workers, […]

November 10, 2020 Read More →
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