For Immediate Release: November 8, 2018
Tucson, Ariz. – The Arizona Corporation Commission has authorized construction of new transmission lines and other equipment to support what will become Tucson Electric Power’s (TEP’s) largest local solar power and energy storage project.
The planned 100-megawatt (MW) solar array and accompanying 30 MW battery storage system will be owned and operated by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources. The battery storage system will enable TEP to store solar energy produced during the day, then deliver it later to customers during times of peak demand. It also can be used to manage power fluctuations associated with renewable energy resources.
The systems will be developed south of the Tucson International Airport and are expected to be in service by the end of 2020. With the addition of these new systems, TEP’s community-scale solar and wind portfolio will produce enough power to serve more than 91,000 homes annually.
TEP plans to construct new 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines and a new switchyard along a 3-mile stretch of South Swan Road that will connect the solar-and-storage project to TEP’s existing electric infrastructure. A new 138-kV substation also is planned to connect these facilities to TEP’s local energy grid.
The company expects to invest more than $54 million in the project’s transmission line, substation, switchyard and other facilities, which also will strengthen electric reliability for customers and help meet future energy needs in the area.
By 2030, TEP plans to have three times as much wind and solar energy as today. Those systems will produce enough energy to serve the annual electric needs of about 350,000 homes – nearly every home in Tucson. More information about TEP’s renewable energy plan is available at tep.com/renewable-goals.
TEP provides safe, reliable and affordable electric service to approximately 424,000 customers in Southern Arizona. For more information, visit tep.com. TEP and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis, Inc., which owns utilities that serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. To learn more, visit fortisinc.com.
News Media Contact
Joseph Barrios
(520) 884-3725
jbarrios@tep.com
