Utilities

SRP’s new Eleven Mile Solar System is expected to power more than 65,000 homes and bring $80 million in tax revenue to communities inside Pinal County.

The Interior Department announced Thursday that it has allocated another $71 million to help electrify 13 communities across Indian Country, and two Arizona tribal utility companies are closer to bridging the power gap.

Coconino County’s planning commission has approved a wind farm to be built 25 miles north of Flagstaff. It’s the latest in a series of renewable energy projects in the region.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes recently called for immediate federal action to fix ongoing power outages after one affected thousands of people in central Arizona last month.

SRP announced on Monday that it would be raising its prices for residential customers. The average residence will see a 3.2% monthly increase, or just under $5.

A trio of Republican lawmakers is asking the Arizona Corporation Commission to consider adopting seasonal electricity rates for some customers in Mohave County who are struggling with a new rate increase approved by the commission in January.

Top federal officials, including U.S. Secretary Deb Haaland, traveled to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument on Thursday to announce a $20 million grant to the Hopi Nation for a solar power project and 12 miles of powerline that will bring electricity to nearly 900 Hopi homes.

In a debate this week, the three Democrats and three Republicans running for the Arizona Corporation Commission sparred over the agency’s role in lowering energy costs for Arizona residents and promoting the use of more renewable energy across the state.

Water Asset Management, a New York-based investment company, purchased nearly 13,000 acres of land in La Paz County for $100 million. Critics worry about how this deal could mean less water for western Arizona county residents. County Supervisor Holly Irwin joined The Show to discuss why this deal is such a problem to her.

The 12.5 mile-long Transcanyon Waterline, originally built in the 1960s, supplies potable water for facilities on the South Rim and inner canyon. Park officials say it has exceeded its expected lifespan.