SRP to propose mixed-resource project to its board in September

Salt River Project, the utility serving parts of the Phoenix area, plans to ask its board in September to approve a new power plant about 45 miles south of the city, near Stanfield, Arizona. The Marigold Energy Center would combine 400 megawatts of battery storage, 600 megawatts of solar power, and up to 675 megawatts of gas-fired generation, along with a new substation and transmission lines. The goal is to keep up with growing electricity demand in Maricopa and Pinal counties, where SRP serves customers.

If you're an SRP customer in that region, this project is part of how the utility plans to keep power reliable as demand rises, using a mix of solar, batteries, and gas rather than relying on one type of generation. SRP is holding public meetings before the board vote: an in-person session in Stanfield on July 28 and a virtual open house on July 29, following earlier sessions held in December and March.

This adds to other storage projects SRP has lined up recently, including a carbon-dioxide-based battery system with Energy Dome announced in June and an iron flow battery pilot with ESS Tech announced last October. None of this changes rebates or programs available to individual homeowners, but it does signal how your local grid is evolving to handle more demand, which can matter if you're considering home upgrades like solar panels, battery storage, or electrification that depend on grid capacity and reliability.