The retirement of Unit 1 at the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station Thursday has moved Tucson Electric Power a step closer to its clean energy goals.

TEP owned 50 percent of the 340 MW unit at the northwestern New Mexico plant, which was developed beginning in the 1970s to serve growing energy needs in the Desert Southwest. TEP also owned half of Unit 2 at the plant, which was retired in 2017. We’ve replaced their output with cleaner natural gas-fired units and renewable resources.

The retirement marks the first coal unit closure since we announced plans to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2035. Our plan also envisions the retirement of two units at TEP’s coal-fired Springerville Generating Station in 2027 and 2032.

“As we continue to deliver reliable service to our customers, this closure marks another step in our transition from an earlier era that relied on fossil fuels to a future that is cleaner and greener and that places a growing emphasis on renewable energy,” said Mike Sheehan, Vice President of Resource Planning.

TEP stopped burning coal at its H. Wilson Sundt Generating Station on East Irvington Road in 2015 as part of a long-term plan to build a cleaner, more diverse energy portfolio. In 2020, the large A-frame structure that served as a coal storage facility was removed along with other coal-handling equipment made obsolete by the closure.

Last year, TEP more than doubled its renewable energy resources with the addition of three new wind and solar systems.

Please visit our website for more information about our Integrated Resource Plan.