Arizona utility Salt River Project has revised its long-term sustainability goals with more ambitious targets to cut carbon dioxide emissions, support the adoption of more electric vehicles and reduce the amount of water used to generate power.
The new sustainability goals adopted by SRP’s board of directors aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the not-for-profit utility while ensuring a resilient water supply, adapting to changing customer needs, promoting a sustainable supply chain and reducing waste.
Among the highlights: SRP will strive to cut its carbon dioxide emissions for each megawatt hour of electricity produced by 82% by 2035 and to reach net-zero carbon use by 2050. The 82% reduction is based on a comparison to 2005 emissions levels.
The company also intends to achieve energy savings through greater efficiencies and support the adoption of 1 million electric vehicles in its service territory while managing the charging of 90% of them.
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SRP also intends to reduce the amount of water used in power generation by 30%, also compared to the 2005 baseline amount, and promote forest restoration and thinning in Arizona.
The changes are part of SRP’s 2035 Sustainability Goals, originally approved in 2019 and updated every five years. Other targets include reducing emissions in SRP’s vehicle fleet, enhancing water-storage efforts and decreasing the company’s solid-waste footprint. The revisions will go into effect in May 2025.
The changes came after seven months of listening to municipalities, businesses, universities and public interest groups, some of which are giving mixed reviews.
“Transitioning Arizona’s economy to one that is clean and carbon-free is no easy task, yet SRP’s upgraded corporate goals illustrate that reducing energy use and air pollution while growing the economy is possible and benefits everyone,” said Caryn Potter, Arizona representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project or SWEEP, in a statement. She said customers shouldn’t need to compromise among a cleaner environment, affordable bills and reliable power.
Western Resource Advocates, a nonprofit organization fighting climate change, welcomed the plan to cut greenhouse gases 82% by 2035, from the 2005 baseline amount, but said the new commitment still falls short of what’s needed. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, “Electric utilities need to reduce greenhouse-gas pollution at least 80% by 2030, as compared to the 2005 baseline,” the group said.
Western Resource Advocates also contends SRP still has one of the weakest plans among utilities in the West to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is the only major utility in the region with no plan to transition away from highly polluting coal-fired power plants.
Reach the writer at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SRP aims to reduce carbon emissions, lower water usage
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