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Palo Verde Generating Station Celebrates 40 Years of Providing Reliable Power to the Southwest
The life of one of the nation’s largest power producers began nearly 60 years ago. Around the time the Apollo 11 spaceflight landed two astronauts on the moon, some dreamers in Arizona were considering a nuclear power facility. APS led a group to study the viability of meeting the power needs of Arizona and the Southwest with nuclear energy. Two years later, five utilities in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas formed the Arizona Nuclear Power Project. In 1976, construction began for the Palo Verde Generating Station 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix.
This month Palo Verde celebrates the anniversary of a key milestone, 40 years ago, on June 1, 1985, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an operating license for Unit 1 and almost immediately, with APS as the plant’s operator, connected to the energy grid. By 1988, after the NRC issued licenses for Units 2 and 3 and the three units were operating at full capacity, Palo Verde became the nation’s largest producer of clean, carbon-free energy and that has continued, consistently generating more than 30 million megawatt-hours of electricity each year, enough to power more than four million homes and businesses in the U.S. Southwest. Now owned by seven utilities, the plant produces about 27% of the electric power generated in Arizona.
As we approach summer, Palo Verde is ready to continue reliably serving customers, even when Arizona temperatures soar above 110 degrees and new customer electricity usage records may be set. Unlike some other energy resources, nuclear power is available 24/7/365, serving as the backbone to APS’s diverse mix of energy. APS customers are relying on the energy generated at Palo Verde to keep the lights on and the AC running.
Palo Verde is important in the long-term to meet customers’ needs. APS has already secured NRC license extensions well into the 2040s and is preserving the option to seek extensions into the 2060s. The nuclear story continues beyond Palo Verde. APS is leading an effort with two other major utilities in Arizona to explore the potential for additional nuclear generation. A team is evaluating a range of technologies, considering small modular reactors as well as large reactors like Palo Verde, as well as a wide range of siting options in Arizona, including at retiring coal plant sites.
This joint effort could result in the selection of a preferred nuclear site in the late 2020s, potentially enabling additional nuclear power to be generated in the early 2040s. The three Arizona utilities will continue their collaboration on charting a path to meet Arizonans’ energy needs into the future.
Just as that earlier generation of visionaries saw the need for nuclear power, we hope to strengthen Arizona’s energy future by taking the steps now to add new nuclear resources for tomorrow, ensuring that Arizonans will continue to be served by clean, carbon-free, reliable nuclear power.
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