SRP Board Narrowly Approves 675MW of New Natural Gas Despite Clean Team Objections
The Salt River Project (SRP) District Board voted this week to approve the Marigold Energy Center, a new power plant in Stanfield, Pinal County that will include 600MW of solar, 400MW of battery storage, and 675MW of new natural gas generation.
The project passed on a slim majority vote (8-7) over the objections of the Clean Energy team.
Director Ken Clark, proposed an amendment that would have replaced the natural gas portion of the project with a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program equivalent in generation capacity. VPP programs are a proven approach to generate comparable power while saving customers money.
“I wanted to have a real conversation among board members about cleaner, more affordable alternatives to new gas infrastructure,” said Clark, who represents residents in SRP District 6. “That conversation was shut down by Board President Chris Dobson. SRP ratepayers deserve better than that.”
Ratepayers will ultimately bear the long-term costs of the new gas infrastructure for generations to come due the ongoing volatility of natural gas prices globally. This decision represents a move in the wrong direction at a time when clean energy alternatives are increasingly cost-competitive.
“This power plant has only one of two fates. It will either continue to spew thousands of tons of carbon in to the atmosphere long after the SRP goal of “net zero carbon” by 2050, or it will be shut down at ratepayer expense because renewables plus batteries will continue to drop in price, making this the most expensive option. This is a failure of leadership.
The project’s transmission lines will now go before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee for review, public input, and approval on September 21 at 5:30PM.
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An Important Disclaimer
Ken Clark is a Salt River Project Board member. The views expressed in this content are solely his individual views and opinions, and are not made on behalf of the SRP Board of Directors or Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District.