Springerville Generating Station Repowering Project

Maintaining access to energy from our units at SGS is the best way for us to continue providing reliable, affordable energy for our existing customers.

We don't anticipate that our customers will need less energy in the future. This means we'll need to at least maintain our current generating capacity when our coal-fired generating units retire. After we convert SGS Units 1 and 2, our only remaining coal-fired power will come from two units at Arizona Public Service’s Four Corners Generating Station that are scheduled to be retired in 2031. By then, we anticipate having even more energy resources online to support continued service to our customers.

Our new plan will extend the use of coal at SGS Unit 1, which we had previously planned to retire after the summer of 2027. It also will accelerate the end of coal-fired combustion at SGS 2, which we had previously planned to keep operating through the summer of 2032. We anticipate completing the conversion of both Units 1 and 2 to natural gas by 2030.

This conversion will help TEP make progress toward its long-term carbon emissions reduction goal. Switching to natural gas will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from SGS Units 1 and 2, significantly reducing our community's carbon footprint.

Achieving our 2050 net zero goal will require an all-of-the-above approach, including investments in clean energy solutions and partnerships with customers to encourage thoughtful energy use, such as shifting power demand to take better advantage of our cleanest energy from the sun and wind.

Our success also will depend on advancements in clean energy technologies like long-duration storage, carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen generation and possibly small modular nuclear reactors. While we cannot predict exactly how we’ll achieve net zero carbon emissions, we know that efficient, reliable natural gas generation will be a part of our path toward that goal.

Renewable energy resources cannot yet match the reliable, around-the-clock performance of natural gas generation at an affordable price. Although solar and wind energy can be supplemented with energy storage to provide additional availability, most large scale battery systems operate for only four hours - not long enough to provide the 24/7 reliability customers need.

Converting Springerville to run on natural gas is the most affordable way to secure this much energy capacity. The project will cost less than building a new natural gas generating plant or trying to replace the units' output with wind or solar plus storage.

No. Our conversion project simply preserves our access to energy that SGS Units 1 and 2 have been producing for decades, though we'll benefit from more flexible performance and lower carbon emissions. TEP will not gain new generating capacity from this project.