Power supply

The natural gas turbines are the most cost-effective power supply to meet MEC’s load growth.

Fact. MEC forecasts a load growth that cannot be covered by existing energy sources, approximately 30 – 60 MW of dedicated power to avoid paying for this power in the open market. This affects reliability and affordability. Power purchased from the open market is more expensive.

The natural gas turbines are more cost-effective than solar power.

Fact. Solar cannot produce power at night or when it rains. Essentially, solar has two costs – what it costs to build a solar field plus the cost to purchase power when there is no solar energy available for use.

AEPCO and MEC complete an Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) every three years for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).

Fact. The plans for solar, battery energy storage systems, and natural gas turbines were included in the 2017, 2020, and 2023 IRPs. The 2026 IRP will be completed in late 2026.

AEPCO and MEC completed multiple Request for Proposals (RFP) on the most cost-effective and reliable power options.

Fact. AEPCO follows the Arizona Administrative Code procurement methods approved by the ACC. AEPCO and MEC conducted multiple solicitations. The All-Source RFP was completed in 2023; the combination of solar, battery, and natural gas turbines were the most affordable option while providing the most reliable power supply. The first solar, battery storage, and LM6000 resources have already been built throughout AEPCO’s service territory.

The electric power equivalent to 19,000 households and businesses is at risk for power outages if Mohave Energy Park isn’t built or MEC has to buy expensive power on the market affecting rates.

Fact. MEC is short 30 MW of dedicated power which equates to approximately 9,500 homes and businesses being short of power. Also, MEC’s existing 30 MW of solar and battery does not provide sufficient power at night and during rainy weather, which adds another 9,500 homes and businesses that can only use “temporary power.” This situation could lead to an outage.

9,500 + 9,500 = 19,000 homes without power

The current energy markets cannot be relied upon for power supply or to be available at an affordable cost.

AEPCO is going to sell the power from Mohave Energy Park to California.

Myth. The generating facility is not being built to sell power to California; the facility will serve MEC and AEPCO. All power sales and transactions between or across electric utilities utilize a transaction tagging process regulated by federal agencies and reported to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to track the physical path of energy. They have trackable sales and can be audited to prove that power from Mohave Energy Park was sold to MEC.