Utilities award grants to Arizona communities facing coal plant closures

Major utility providers in Arizona are continuing to award grants to communities facing coal plant closures.

Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project and Tucson Electric Power each generate coal power from plants located in the northeastern part of Arizona or across the New Mexico border. But the three utilities are each planning to transition away from coal toward renewable energy. Some coal production has already stopped and remaining generating stations are set to be decommissioned within the next decade.

Anita Tarango, manager of community engagement strategy at SRP, said the three utilities have pooled $1 million to help communities prepare.

“With the closure of a plant, it’s definitely going to impact their communities and we want to ensure that they’re positioned to continue forward into the future,” Tarango said.

The three utilities last year began offering grants up to $25,000 to impacted towns, tribal governments or nonprofits.

Tarango said most grant recipients are using the funding to hire consultants or grant writers to help put together local economic development plans or applications for federal funding.

The latest rounds of grants, announced this month, went to the towns of Eager, Page and St. Johns.

Grants will be available through 2026.