Salt River Project (SRP), the nation’s third-largest public power utility, has announced a request for proposals (RFP) for utility-scale photovoltaic power plants, preferably located somewhere in the greater Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area.
The solicitation seeks to add up to a total of 50 megawatts (MW) of ground-mounted PV capacity in 3Q12 and up to an additional 50 MW in 3Q13. Individual projects that have a capacity of between 5 and 20 MW are preferred.
As locating new generating capacity close to its load center is more efficient and provides economic benefits relative to transmission needs, SRP prefers the projects interconnect in its service territory which includes parts of Maricopa and Pinal counties.
If implemented, these proposals could help SRP meet a requirement by its publicly-elected Board of Directors to have 15% of its retail energy sales be met through sustainable resources by fiscal year 2025.
SRP’s sustainable portfolio currently accounts for more than 7% of retail energy sales.
An information meeting for potential respondents will be held on June 15, via webcast and conference call.