Getting serious about the Arizona Energy Modernization Plan

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ACC Commissioner Tobin has indicated he intends to file a draft rule by next week to start a formal rulemaking process to move the Arizona Energy Modernization Plan from proposed concepts to policy. Among the proposals of the plan include:

  • A new Clean Energy Resource Standard and Tariff (CREST) targeting 80% clean energy by 2050 (and ultimately 100% clean energy at some point in the future). The CREST would be inclusive of any generation resources with zero-emissions beyond steam, as well as efficiency.
  • An energy storage target of 3,000 MW by 2030.
  • A “Clean Peak Target” (CPT) for existing and new clean energy resources, starting at an individual utility’s current baseline of clean resource use during peak hours, and increasing by 1.5% annually through 2030. The “peak” hours are described as 4-hour windows, either sequential or split into two separate two-hour windows (e.g., during shoulder months).
  • Extending the state’s current energy efficiency targets beyond the current sunset of 2020 to support achieving the CREST targets.
  • A requirement that utilities include EV infrastructure build-out proposals within their future CREST plans.