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Resource Planning

Our 2026 Integrated Resource Plan: Planning ahead for reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy

Tucson Electric Power will be working to expand our energy resources to support anticipated growth in our community and maintain affordable, reliable service while making progress toward our long-term environmental goals.

We are undertaking this work as we navigate a period of rapid transformation, driven by strong economic growth, evolving regulations, ongoing supply chain pressures, a changing climate, and accelerating electrification efforts.

To meet our customers’ needs over the next decade, we must have a comprehensive plan on how we generate and store energy, how we deliver it, and how we meet our customers changing expectations. We also want to keep making progress toward our goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Our integrated resource planning process (IRP) provides regulators, customers and other interested stakeholders with information about current resources, analyses about future energy requirements, and strategies for meeting our customers’ long-term energy needs. Think of it as a roadmap that lays out the path we'll follow over the next 15 years.

The plan is updated every three years and includes stakeholder and public input to help guide our planning process. The IRP guides our development of new sources through all-source requests for proposals that allow us to compare different energy options to help keep costs as low as possible.

TEP’s increasingly sustainable resource portfolio will be supported by efficient natural gas fired generators and clean energy options, including energy storage systems. TEP recently announced a plan to convert our two coal-fired units at our Springerville power plant to natural gas by 2030.

Our Priorities

  • Reliability: Our customers expect power when they want it, no matter where they are. They count on us to keep the lights on—through summer heat, monsoon season, and the rest of the year. Reliability isn’t just a promise; it’s a cornerstone of our service and vital to our region’s quality of life and economic strength.
  • Affordability: Affordability remains a top priority as we work to keep bills as low as possible. Every decision we make is guided by our commitment to keeping energy costs manageable for our customers while ensuring long-term value.
  • Sustainability: We’re working to reduce the carbon intensity of our energy while meeting increased energy needs. Our aspiration to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 reflects our commitment to customers and our community’s future. Since our last IRP, we brought online a large energy storage facility that is already helping to support peak load and an expansion of renewable energy resources. Learn about our energy mix here.

Resource Planning Advisory Council

Because the electrical grid is undergoing such a significant transformation, it makes integrated resource planning a more complex process that calls for greater stakeholder involvement. As part of the 2026 IRP process, TEP formed an advisory council that provides a forum for in-depth discussions with engaged community stakeholders. Members include residential and business customers, nonprofit organizations, local governments, public schools, limited-income advocates, solar installers and environmental advocates.

TEP believes that a diverse, knowledgeable group of advisors can help chart a long-term plan that helps our community achieve sustainability goals and maintain reliable, affordable electric service through a balanced, flexible resource plan. You can follow their work here.

Our Previous IRPs

Public Input

An online virtual workshop will be held on July 29, 2026 as the Advisory Council wraps up its work, and to provide input prior to the filing of our plan with the Arizona Corporation Commission in early August. You can follow the process and the docket here.