Four organizations serving Arizona communities impacted by the transition away from coal-fired power plants will receive a total of $125,000 in economic development grants from the Utilities’ Grant Funding Program.
The program, which is jointly funded by Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP) and Tucson Electric Power (TEP), provides funding for critical grant writing technical assistance and matching fund support to help develop new, sustainable economic strategies for residents and other stakeholders in impacted communities. The following organizations were recently selected as grant recipients:
The Town of Eagar will receive a $25,000 grant to develop an updated general plan to replace the current version, which was written a decade ago. The updated general plan will identify areas of development, determine additional housing opportunities and craft a vision for the town’s future.
Apache County will receive a $25,000 grant to hire an engineering firm to write state and federal grants to support the design and construction of Phase II of the CR 8235 Stanford Road project.
The Town of Springerville will receive two grants. The first $25,000 grant will help fund the development of an updated master plan, the current version of which will expire in 2025. The master plan, a land use and infrastructure plan, sets forth local goals, objectives and policies to support community growth and redevelopment over the next two to three decades. The second $25,000 grant will match funding from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority for new automatic meter readers, which will more accurately measure water usage, streamline operations and save water.
Joseph City Unified School District will receive a $25,000 grant to match funds for an electric school bus that was awarded to the district through the second round of the EPA’s Clean Energy Grant.
APS, SRP and TEP pledged a combined $1 million in awards available through the Utilities’ Grant Funding program. Tribal, state, and local governments, public schools, economic development groups and nonprofit groups within 75 miles of a closing or closed coal plant are eligible to apply. More details about submission eligibility and requirements are available here.
This was the program’s fourth round of grant awards since its inception in 2023. The fifth grant application cycle is now open. Applications are due by August 15. APS and TEP funds for the Utilities Grants Funding program do not come from customer rates.
About APS
APS serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, clean and reliable energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, one of the nation’s largest producers of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is 50% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW)
About SRP
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley’s residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals.
About TEP
TEP provides safe, reliable electric service to more than 447,000 customers in Southern Arizona. For more information, visit tep.com. TEP and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry. For more information, visit fortisinc.com.
Contact:
TEP
Joseph Barrios
jbarrios@tep.com
520-884-3725
APS
Ann Porter
ann.porter@aps.com
602-538-0588
SRP
Elaina Steingard
elaina.steingard@srpnet.com
602-619-7606
