Resource Planning
Our 2026 Integrated Resource Plan: Planning ahead for reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy
UniSource continues its commitment to building a robust mix of resources that includes an expanding portfolio of cost-effective renewable resources and efficient natural gas generation. We will also offer customers education about energy efficiency and managing peak energy demands. All of these resources will play key roles in ensuring sustainable, responsive service.
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.
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.
Reliability is among our focus areas. 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.
We also know 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.
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.