Our efforts to maintain and improve systems serving customers continues year-round. In 2023 alone, 抖奶视频 invested more than $258 million to replace and improve electric switches, transformers and other equipment used every day to deliver service to homes and businesses throughout our community.

“Last summer was especially challenging in August when storms left tens of thousands of customers without power,鈥� said David Wagner, 抖奶视频 Director of Transmission & Distribution Line Construction and Metering. 鈥淒uring a typical summer, we replace about 100 poles damaged by storms. Last summer, we replaced twice that number. And since then, we鈥檝e performed maintenance and completed several improvements to make our grid more resilient before this summer arrives.鈥�

抖奶视频 made significant investments in substation upgrades including:

• $16 million to upgrade the configuration of breakers at the DeMoss-Petrie Substation, providing better reliability and more operational flexibility at a crucial local energy hub serving the serving the city’s core, west side and other area neighborhoods.
• More than $3 million to add a new transformer and related equipment at the 22nd Street Substation near East 22^nd Street and South Columbus.
• More than $10 million in a new substation, transmission lines and switchyard facilities at 抖奶视频’s Irvington Campus, a critical energy hub that serves customers throughout our service territory.
• A $7.7 million expansion of the Robert Bills Substation located near Interstate 10 and South Wilmot Road.

Crews also installed larger, stronger conductors to increase capacity on the local circuits that serve specific areas of town. Recent projects include a $2 million upgrade of lines serving customers near South Campbell Avenue and East 36th Street and a $1 million upgrade of lines near North Silverbell Road and West Neosha Street.

We also modified and installed new equipment to increase voltage in areas where additional energy capacity was needed. Improvement like these include a recent $1 million voltage conversion of lines serving midtown homes and businesses near North Columbus Boulevard and East 29th Street.

For information about ongoing transmission, distribution and substation projects, visit tep.com/projects.

The 138-kilovolt (kV) Harrison Substation was completed in June at the northwest corner of North Harrison Road and East Speedway Boulevard. The $18 million project helps to improve reliability by reducing strain placed on three nearby substations, which were operating at or above capacity.

抖奶视频 operates 121 electric substations, which change the voltage of electric facilities for transmission and delivery of electric service to area customers.

鈥淪ubstations play a crucial role in our local energy grid, connecting 抖奶视频鈥檚 generating resources to customers鈥� homes and businesses,鈥� said Cynthia Garcia, Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Engineering and Safety. 鈥淲e invest significant time and resources to build, upgrade and maintain our substations, which we use to provide service to customers around the clock.鈥�

Typically, it takes about five years to design, permit and build a standard distribution substation. New substation transformers, which can cost nearly $1.5 million each, can take up to two years to build and install. Since 2018, 抖奶视频 has invested more than $580 million in its transmission and distribution system, including substations.

The need for the Harrison Substation was identified in long-term transmission plans filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission. Determining when and where to build new substations is based on several factors, including customer energy needs, proximity to existing infrastructure, cost, environmental factors and impacts on nearby residents. Harrison Substation provides greater electric capacity to support continued reliability for current and future residential and commercial customers in the area.

In November 2015, the City of Tucson granted a Special Exception Land Use Permit to 抖奶视频 for construction of the substation. Changes in customers鈥� energy needs and regional growth demands required 抖奶视频 to amend the original construction timeline. Public input was an important aspect of the design and permitting process, with 抖奶视频 receiving questions and comments from dozens of neighborhood residents.

Brian Pugh, Supervisor of Land Resources, said that input helped 抖奶视频 to refine its plans. Originally, 抖奶视频 planned to install a 75-foot communications tower at the substation. 聽Neighbors expressed concerns about the tower during the public meeting due to potential visual impacts to the Catalina Mountains.

The team worked to revise the design, Pugh said. 鈥淓ventually, we found another way to tie the substation into our communications network, so there was no need to install the communications tower.鈥�

That was well-received by neighbors, Pugh said, as were decisions to move substation transformers further away from nearby homes and add more mature vegetation to the site. 抖奶视频 also amended work schedules and used water trucks to reduce dust and noise during construction.

Other recently completed substations include the Aeropark Substation near the Tucson International Airport and the Kino Substation near South Kino Parkway and East 36^th Street. The Sonoran 138-kV Substation, completed in 2020, and accompanying Cisne Switchyard help interconnect the new Wilmot Energy Center. It includes a 100 megawatt (MW) solar array and 30 MW battery energy storage system. New substations and switchyards were also recently brought online to interconnect with the 99 MW Borderlands Wind Farm in New Mexico and the new 15 MW Raptor Ridge Solar system in Tucson.

Improvements to existing substations include replacement of critical substation transformers, breakers and switches. 抖奶视频 has replaced more than 50 breakers and a dozen transformers across 16 substations over the last few years. These replacements were necessary to address aging equipment near the end of its useful life and to maintain and improve service reliability for customers.

That鈥檚 why we recently upgraded software and communications systems used 24 hours a day, all year long for monitoring and operating our local energy grid.

鈥淭he demands placed on our electric system are constantly changing, so having more real-time information allows our system operators to work more effectively,鈥� said Erik Bakken, Vice President of System Operations and Energy Resources. 鈥淭hese investments will help us collect performance data we can use to prioritize upgrades and system maintenance while supporting secure communications with field personnel who work in challenging and sometimes dangerous conditions.鈥�

抖奶视频 invested about $12 million to upgrade the distribution management system that our System Control operators use to monitor and control the network that delivers power to customers and helps manage the output of rooftop solar arrays.聽 Our energy grid is actively managed to accommodate fluctuating usage, intermittent rooftop solar production, outages, weather, scheduled maintenance and other factors. These distribution upgrades are part of nearly $1.8 billion 抖奶视频 has invested in in our energy grid since 2018 to improve service reliability for customers.

System operators use distribution management software to balance electric demand on specific circuits that deliver service to customers. They also use it to track outages and equipment repairs so that field employees can more safely perform their work.

Operators are now better equipped to collect and analyze outage data, which can help speed restoration of service to customers. The new distribution management system is also intended to provide greater operational flexibility as additional improvements to our local energy grid are completed in the future.

Additionally, the company invested about $3.2 million to upgrade radio network equipment that field employees use every day to communicate with each other and system operators. That upgrade expands upon improvements 抖奶视频 made a few years ago when it purchased new truck-mounted and handheld radios and other communications equipment for employees.

鈥淎 reliable radio communications system is an essential part of operating the grid. When field employees install new equipment or make repairs to damaged equipment, they must be able to coordinate with system operators before circuits are re-energized and service is restored to customers,鈥� Bakken said. 鈥淭hese new tools help us to keep the lights on while protecting the safety of our employees and the public.鈥�

Communication with system control is particularly important when field employees respond to downed power lines and other hazardous conditions caused by summer thunderstorms.

The Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee鈥檚 public hearing for 抖奶视频鈥檚 proposed Kino to DeMoss-Petrie (Kino-DMP) 138-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line Project, originally scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 13, has been rescheduled to begin Feb. 7, 2022. That date remains subject to change at the discretion of the committee鈥檚 chairman.

The Kino-DMP project will help 抖奶视频 reduce outage times while serving the growing energy needs of midtown customers. It will allow the retirement of 46-kV facilities developed decades ago to serve a less-dense community of smaller homes with evaporative coolers and lower energy needs. The 138-kV project will add much needed capacity that supports economic growth and allows increased use of rooftop solar power systems and electric vehicles.

The proposed line will connect 抖奶视频鈥檚 Kino Substation, near South Kino Parkway and East 36th Street, to a proposed substation just west of Banner-UMC and 抖奶视频鈥檚 DMP Substation near West Grant Road and Interstate 10.

The company鈥檚 application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility will be considered by the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee in a public hearing that will include opportunities for public comment. The committee鈥檚 decision regarding this request will then be forwarded to the Arizona Corporation Commission for review.

More details about the project are available online at tep.com/kino-to-demoss-petrie. The website will be kept up-to-date with any changes, and 抖奶视频 will provide additional communications about the project as the new hearing date nears.

抖奶视频 provides safe, reliable electric service to more than 433,000 customers in Southern Arizona. For more information, visit tep.com. 抖奶视频 and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. (NYSE: FTS), which owns utilities that serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. For more information, visit .

News Media Contact:
Joseph Barrios
(520) 884-3725
jbarrios@tep.com

The system used sunlight to boil water, producing steam to help drive a turbine at our natural gas-fired Sundt Generating Station. The system, one of the first of its kind, was designed to boost the plant鈥檚 output by up to 5 megawatts without added emissions.

Over time, though, the system proved increasingly unreliable. While it was supposed to provide more power per square foot than conventional solar technology, its shutdowns left it lagging behind the low-maintenance output of a conventional photovoltaic array.

Now that we know other more conventional technologies work better, we鈥檙e repurposing its parts to produce a comparable amount of energy at a lower cost, with reduced water use and maintenance costs.

Steam piping from the original system is being retrofitted to capture exhaust from two RICE units to fuel a pair of heat recovery steam generators that will be used to preheat asphalt for local road projects. The system鈥檚 ground elevation components, meanwhile, are being reused to mount PV panels.

鈥淥ver the last decade, the renewable energy sector has seen unprecedented growth and a rapid expansion of technology,鈥� said Dylan Bearce, Director of Tucson Power Production. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that utilities embrace innovation around alternative technologies as we shift away from traditional resources. As technology changes, we also need to be nimble and respond to evolving efficiencies and improvements. This retrofit is the best option for our customers by allowing us to build on our earlier investment to produce a better outcome.鈥�

Watch a showing the dismantling of the system, which weighed 2,400 pounds and included more than 500 74-foot long steel mirrors.

抖奶视频 is partnering with Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DM) on upgrades that will satisfy its energy resilience requirements while also serving growing commercial and residential energy demands in the surrounding area north of the base.

鈥淪ecuring our country鈥檚 freedoms is a 24/7 occupation, so we鈥檙e proud of the work we鈥檙e doing together to support base readiness and to improve electric reliability for neighboring customers,鈥� said Ryan Anderson, the 抖奶视频 Senior Key Account Manager who supports DM.

鈥淭he base is a critical part of our nation鈥檚 air combat command, operating the busiest single runway in the entire U.S. Air Force and creating $2.6 billion in annual economic activity in our community. We are proud to engage in these long-term planning efforts to support the base鈥檚 mission.鈥�

抖奶视频鈥檚 new 13-mile Irvington to East Loop 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission line will expand capacity from DM鈥檚 existing 46-kV service. The line will connect with the new Patriot substation, which will be built on a 16-acre site adjacent to the base. Construction is expected to begin this summer.

The new facilities will help DM satisfy energy resiliency directives established by the U.S. Defense Department in 2017. Those requirements ensure that military installations continue to improve their electric service reliability and eliminate single points of failure, mitigating potential energy disruptions that may impact mission assurance.

抖奶视频 has been working with base officials to move DM onto a looped 138-kV system. In addition to expanding system capacity and increasing resilience, the new Patriot substation will provide 抖奶视频 crews with direct access to support fast response times. It also will allow the retirement of several older 46-kV substations, improving reliability for all customers in the surrounding area.

鈥淭his project wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without the great collaboration between 抖奶视频 and DM,鈥� said Christopher Lindsey, Planning Director for Transmission and Distribution. 聽鈥淭his single project improves reliability for the system on many levels and sets us up for supporting our customers well into the future.鈥�

DM provided extra space for the Patriot substation that could allow for future projects, including possible energy backup for on-site critical operations. 抖奶视频 is currently conducting a feasibility study to look at potential next steps.

This partnership is an example of how 抖奶视频鈥檚 Key Account Managers work to develop win-win scenarios with customers, said David Couture, 抖奶视频鈥檚 Manager of Business Development.聽 鈥淭he DM partnership has been a long-term effort by many individuals at 抖奶视频 and our team appreciates all the dedicated effort and ingenuity they provide.鈥�

At the request of DM officials, 抖奶视频 representatives recently shared details about the 抖奶视频/DM Resiliency Partnership with a team from the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Office of Electricity and Energy Resilience.

鈥湺赌淌悠碘�檚 dedication to detail and responsiveness have been deeply appreciated as we work through this complex project,鈥� said Nicholas M. Germanos, DM鈥檚 Deputy Base Civil Engineer. 鈥淲e value our partnership and appreciate the role 抖奶视频 plays in accomplishing our mission.鈥�

抖奶视频 started delivering energy from the Wilmot Energy Center (WEC) southeast of Tucson at the end of April. Located on 1,130 acres southeast of Tucson International Airport, the site includes a 100 megawatt (MW) solar array and a 30-MW battery energy storage system 鈥� each the largest of their kind on 抖奶视频鈥檚 local energy grid. The WEC will produce enough energy over the course of a year to serve the annual electric needs of about 26,000 homes.

The WEC鈥檚 battery is charged exclusively by its 314,000 solar panels, which are designed to track the movement of the sun for increased production. 抖奶视频 will charge the battery through the morning and early afternoon, when solar resources are most productive, then deliver stored energy later that afternoon when customers鈥� energy needs are greatest.

鈥淒uring peak demand periods, we can use the battery to provide power, shifting the output of WEC to later that afternoon,鈥� said Christopher Lynn, Supervisor of Automation, Metering and Protection Engineering. 鈥淚magine a late afternoon on a hot, humid summer day. Even when afternoon clouds roll in and reduce solar generation, we can still deliver solar energy to satisfy customers鈥� needs.鈥�

抖奶视频 will be able to use the WEC’s batteries to compensate for intermittent production from wind and solar resources. The energy production of wind and solar facilities can spike and dip repeatedly throughout the day, depending on variables like changes in wind speed and cloud cover. The WEC battery system will act as a buffer, producing power instantly to fills in gaps caused by drops in wind and solar production.

Storing solar energy can potentially reduce energy costs for customers. 抖奶视频 often buys additional energy during the heat of summer to satisfy customers鈥� peak energy demands, and energy purchased under these conditions is typically more expensive than at other times. By tapping solar energy produced at midday, 抖奶视频 might be able to avoid more costly power purchases later in the day.

Battery systems also allow 抖奶视频 to maintain reliable service in a variety of different ways.

鈥淏attery systems like this one are often described as the 鈥楽wiss Army knife鈥� of the grid because they can perform multiple critical functions,鈥� Lynn said. 鈥淲e can tell it to produce energy, provide voltage support or perform other jobs.鈥�

Larger battery systems could be used to support system reliability. If a generating resource unexpectedly stops producing power, charged batteries could provide power to customers while system control operators develop a recovery plan.

Batteries play an important role in 抖奶视频鈥檚 plan to provide more than 70 percent of our power from wind and solar resources and reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2035. Our 2020 Integrated Resource Plan describes how we anticipate expanding energy storage resources from 50 MW to more than 1,400 MW over the next 15 years. In addition to the WEC system, 抖奶视频 has two 10 MW battery systems it uses for frequency regulation and other functions that support service reliability.

To interconnect the WEC to 抖奶视频鈥檚 energy grid, 抖奶视频 built a new 138-kilovolt (kV) substation, transmission lines and a switchyard near the site. 抖奶视频 invested about $25 million in the new facilities, which also strengthened electric reliability for customers and provided additional capacity to meet future energy needs in the area.

抖奶视频 plans to extend its 138 kV system to the University of Arizona through a new transmission line that will support delivery of energy from the WEC and our new Oso Grande Wind farm to campus. The university is buying green power from 抖奶视频 through an innovative energy partnership.

抖奶视频 is purchasing power from the WEC under a long-term agreement with an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources, the system owner and operator.

Customers can view a dashboard that displays the current output of our community-scale renewable energy resources at tep.com/solar-dashboard. Updated every three minutes, it provides a real-time look at how 抖奶视频 is satisfying customer energy needs with wind and solar.

For example, many of the wires strung along 抖奶视频鈥檚 poles belong to telecommunications companies. We also allow telecom providers to install mobile networking equipment on our poles. As long as these facilities won鈥檛 compromise the safety and reliability of our service, we鈥檙e happy to host them.

These accommodations are not merely corporate citizenship; they鈥檙e required by law. In accordance with the law, 抖奶视频 develops standardized agreements with applicants and responds promptly to all co-location requests, with details that include the costs they would incur for any upgrades required to allow their installations.

Of course, providers can choose to develop their own infrastructure, especially if 抖奶视频鈥檚 poles aren鈥檛 located where they want their equipment. This could be the case with new 鈥渟mall cell鈥� poles being installed in the Tucson area by telecom providers to support their new 5G wireless service.

These slender steel poles stand a few dozen feet tall with communications equipment attached near the top. They have been installed along city streets and in other parts of the public right-of-way.

These new facilities have attracted attention from residents and local elected officials, including some who have asked 抖奶视频 why telecom companies aren鈥檛 installing this equipment on 抖奶视频鈥檚 poles. In most cases, the answer is simple enough: they haven鈥檛 asked.

抖奶视频 is ready and willing to host 5G facilities on our poles. The only such request we received by April 20, from Verizon, was approved the following day. We don鈥檛 require lengthy contract negotiations, and we work hard to accommodate requests for specific poles.

Because our poles are designed for electric service, they often must be replaced or upgraded to support other facilities. Those costs can be significant, particularly if a new pole is required and we must send crews out to facilitate the work. It might well be quicker and cost less for telecom providers to install their own poles where they need them the most.

抖奶视频 stands ready to support the local rollout of 5G service. Our employees live and work alongside our customers, and we share an interest in our city鈥檚 livability and wellbeing. That鈥檚 why we鈥檒l continue working collaboratively to develop the infrastructure our community needs with minimal adverse impacts.

We鈥檒l soon be unveiling two new renewable energy systems: the Oso Grande Wind farm in southeastern New Mexico and the Wilmot Energy Center solar plus storage project south of Tucson. The systems will help us produce nearly 25 percent of our power from renewable resources, jump-starting our plan to provide 70 percent clean energy and 80 percent less carbon emissions by 2035.

鈥淭hese systems more than double our large-scale renewable energy resources and represent a big step toward the cleaner, greener grid we鈥檙e building for our community,鈥� said Susan M. Gray, 抖奶视频鈥檚 President and CEO. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking decisive action on behalf of our community to protect our climate.鈥�

In addition to providing cleaner energy for every customer, the new systems allow 抖奶视频 to provide 100 percent clean energy to the University of Arizona鈥檚 main campus through an innovative long-term partnership. The agreement is the largest bilateral renewable energy agreement between a university and electric utility in North America and will enable the University of Arizona to offset all of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its purchased electricity, said Trevor Ledbetter, director of the Office of Sustainability at the University of Arizona.

鈥淚 am incredibly proud and grateful the University of Arizona is partnering with 抖奶视频 on this important initiative,鈥� said University of Arizona聽President聽Robert C. Robbins. 鈥淏uilding a sustainable future is one of the University鈥檚 strategic priorities, and this project will have a huge impact in reducing our carbon emissions. I am very excited for what we will be able to accomplish together.鈥�

The 250-megawatt (MW) Oso Grande Wind farm will generate enough power each year to serve the annual electric needs of nearly 100,000 homes. Located on 24,000 acres of desert, Oso Grande includes 62 turbines, with some that reach more than 600 feet from base to blade tip.

The site was chosen for its proximity to transmission lines and its strong wind, particularly during hours when solar arrays produce little or no power. 抖奶视频 owns and operates the system, which was developed by EDF Renewables North America through a build-and-transfer agreement.

The Wilmot Energy Center (WEC), located on 1,130 acres southeast of Tucson International Airport, includes a 100-MW solar array and a 30-MW battery energy storage system 鈥� each the largest of their kind on 抖奶视频鈥檚 local energy grid. The WEC will produce enough energy over the course of a year to serve the annual electric needs of about 35,000 homes.

The battery system will be charged by the system鈥檚 314,000 solar panels, which are designed to track the movement of the sun for increased production. 抖奶视频 will purchase power from the facility under a long-term agreement with an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources, the system owner and operator.

With both Oso Grande and the WEC online, 抖奶视频 will have about 625 MW of large community-scale wind and solar resources, with more scheduled to come online soon. The 99-MW Borderlands Wind Project, being built about 100 miles south of Gallup, New Mexico, is expected to be in service by the end of 2021. 抖奶视频 customers also have installed more than 29,000 rooftop solar systems with a combined capacity of about 300 MW.

These renewable resources support the ambitious clean energy goals outlined in 抖奶视频鈥檚 Integrated Resource Plan, which describes how 抖奶视频 will serve customer energy needs over the next 15 years. By replacing coal-fired power plants with less carbon-intensive resources, 抖奶视频鈥檚 plan will avoid the production of more than 50 million tons of carbon dioxide over 15 years 鈥� equivalent to taking three-quarters of a million cars off the road.

Customers can check 抖奶视频鈥檚 renewable energy output anytime by visiting the Clean Energy Tracker at . Updated every three minutes, the gauges and graphs provide a real-time look at how 抖奶视频 is satisfying customer energy needs with wind and solar power.

抖奶视频 completed more than 11,000 inspections, new connections and other service orders last year, exceeding the previous three years. More residential customers sought to install private solar arrays, filing more than 4,400 applications for new systems 鈥� up from 2,918 applications in 2019.

抖奶视频 kept this pace even as designers, field technicians and other employees followed new pandemic safety procedures that allowed for the continued delivery of services while reducing direct contact with customers to minimize potential exposure.

鈥淲e were expecting our workload to slow down because of the pandemic, but that hasn鈥檛 been the case,鈥� said Nicole SantaCruz, a Transmission and Distribution Supervisor. 鈥淲e’re working quickly and safely to keep up with the demand.鈥�

Customers completing a construction project at their home or business can call 抖奶视频 for a free, temporary disconnection of electric service to perform work more safely. After the work is completed and the customer secures any necessary permit or governmental clearance, a 抖奶视频 worker will return to reconnect service as quickly as possible.

抖奶视频 performs about 50 such 鈥榩ower kills鈥� every week. Although disconnections typically are scheduled about 5 days in advance, some can be performed within 24 hours. They can be scheduled ahead of time by calling (520) 918-8300.

When new service is established for a single-family home, commercial building or other new project, 抖奶视频 uses a comprehensive work process to ensure that service will be safe and reliable. The process typically includes a site visit, engineering and design work, verification of easement, a pre-construction meeting, inspections, underground utility line location, digging, and finally construction, including line and meter installation. Similar steps may be required when customers upgrade their facilities. At new home communities, 抖奶视频 works with builders to first energize model homes and lots with potential buyers.

鈥淲e try to expedite these work orders and meet or often beat our deadlines,鈥� said Jeremy Erlacher, a Transmission and Distribution Supervisor.

抖奶视频 energized more than 4,300 new single-family homes and other residential addresses in 2020, exceeding more than 3,800 connections in 2019 and more than 2,800 connections in 2018.

抖奶视频 also works regularly with residential and business customers who install new rooftop solar facilities.

鈥淲e鈥檝e streamlined the review process and developed new tools to help our customers,鈥� said Francisco Castro, Manager of Energy Programs.

The company now offers online maps to help solar installers and customers determine if a new system can safely interconnect to 抖奶视频鈥檚 system. In total, more than 28,000 抖奶视频 customers have installed solar photovoltaic systems. Each system must satisfy state interconnection requirements to ensure it won鈥檛 compromise safety or reliability.

Customers also may request a pre-application report, which 抖奶视频 typically provides within three business days, to help determine if new projects will pass the interconnection requirement screening process. In December, 抖奶视频 began working with installers to process interconnection agreements online instead of requiring printed documents.

Visit 抖奶视频鈥檚 website to learn more about new tools and resources for distributed generation projects.