For Immediate Release: Dec. 9, 2019
Tucson, Ariz. – UniSource Energy Services is engaging key community stakeholders and soliciting customer input as it updates its strategic plan for satisfying customers’ future electricity needs.
The input will inform UniSource’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which is developed every three years and will be filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission in April 2020. The IRP describes the long-term expansion of UniSource’s energy resources with efficient natural gas plants and cost-effective wind and solar power systems.
“Stakeholder input is essential as we work to build a stronger, more self-reliant resource portfolio for our electric customers,” said David G. Hutchens, UniSource’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Renewable resources, energy efficiency measures and new natural gas technologies will play an increasingly important role in our safe, affordable electric service.”
A preliminary IRP was released in August 2019. When finalized, the plan will:
- Describe UniSource’s current resource portfolio.
- Project future energy needs in communities where UniSource provides electric service.
- Outline strategies the company will use to meet customers’ energy needs over the next 15 years.
UniSource will conduct focused conversations with community leaders in Kingman, Lake Havasu City and Nogales. To ensure that the plan reflects the interests of a diverse group of customers, UniSource also will solicit feedback on its website.
About 20 percent of the power UniSource delivers to customers is generated using renewable resources, more than doubling the current state requirement. With more wind and solar power coming online, UniSource is evaluating ways to compensate for the resulting increase in intermittency on our grid, allowing us to maintain affordable, reliable service for our customers.
UniSource provides electric service to approximately 95,000 customers in Mohave and Santa Cruz counties. The company also provides natural gas to approximately 154,000 customers in northern and southern Arizona. For more information about UniSource, or to view a copy of the 2017 Integrated Resource Plan, visit uesaz.com. UniSource 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@uesaz.com
