“Fluctuations in energy use can be driven by various factors, including seasonal weather patterns, rate changes and inefficient appliances,” said Carlos Leon, a Supervisor in Customer Care. “We’re happy to help customers understand their energy use and find ways to save. Many times, it’s just a matter of making small changes.”

Here are four ways to avoid summer surprises with ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s convenient tools and money-saving programs:

1. Sign up for Budget Billing

Our Budget Billing program helps smooth out your costs by allowing you to pay the same amount each month, based on your average annual usage. Instead of seeing spikes during the hottest time of the year, your consistent bill can help you better manage your budget. Read about the difference it has made for other customers.

2. Track your usage with My Energy Usage

Visibility is key when it comes to managing your energy costs. With ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s online energy tracker, My Energy Usage, you can review your daily and hourly consumption and compare it to your historic usage. You can also review on-peak, off-peak, and demand usage for the month.

Log in to your ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ account online or via the mobile app then select the “Billing and Payment” tab. From there, select “My Energy Usage.”

Learning about your energy habits and usage patterns can help you save energy and determine which of our pricing plans might be the best fit.  Learn more about our Time-of-Use and other flexible pricing plans that reward energy conservation during times of high energy demand.

3. Tap into ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s Energy-Saving Programs

We offer a range of no-cost and low-cost ways to trim your energy use across your home, including through savings on energy-efficient services and products:

• Energy-saving tips for every room in your home
• Rebates on energy-efficient products and services
• An online Marketplace where you can shop online for energy-saving products at competitive prices

4. Schedule an AC Tune Up

Maintaining your air conditioner unit now can save you from headaches in the future. A tune up can not only save you money and energy but also extend the life of your unit. And, through ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s Efficient Home Program you could save with instant rebates.

If you have any other questions, our Customer Care team is always here to help guide you through the process. Please call 520-623-7711 for more information.

Our efforts to maintain and improve systems serving customers continues year-round. In 2023 alone, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ 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,” said David Wagner, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ Director of Transmission & Distribution Line Construction and Metering. “During a typical summer, we replace about 100 poles damaged by storms. Last summer, we replaced twice that number. And since then, we’ve performed maintenance and completed several improvements to make our grid more resilient before this summer arrives.”

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ 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 ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’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.

, customers allow their thermostat provider to make small, temporary adjustments to their home’s temperature in response to local energy grid conditions, typically during the hottest times in the summer. As a reward, participants receive an initial $50 prepaid MasterCard per thermostat, plus another $40 per thermostat if they stay enrolled for the coming season. Customers may enroll up to two thermostats.

Customers retain control of their thermostats and can override adjustments at any time.

While Hess was a little worried about the heat, she wanted to do her part to help relieve strain on the grid. She also felt better knowing that she had the flexibility to restore her preferred temperature if needed. But Hess never did. In fact, she barely noticed the adjustments.

“I was happy to participate. I plan to remain in the program as long as I can,” Hess said. “I don’t have any problem giving that control up for that brief time.”

As the summer season approaches, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ is encouraging additional customers to enroll in Smart Rewards.

Last summer, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ found that Smart Rewards was effective in providing relief to the grid during periods of peak demand. More than 6,900 customers participated in nine “events,” collectively saving enough energy to power the equivalent of roughly 2,300 homes.

“It might seem counterintuitive to turn up your air conditioning temperature when it’s hot, but what we’ve found is that not only are those few degrees not that noticeable for participating customers, but that they can make a huge difference collectively in balancing the grid in times during these temporary periods of peak demand,” said Julie Donavant, Principal of Energy Programs.

Programs that shift energy use help reduce the need for new energy resources, she said. They’re also an important way to help ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ achieve its aspirational goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

Tucson’s warm, sunny weather attracted Hess here in 2004 after living in Kansas and Nebraska. She shares a three-bedroom, eastside house with three dogs and works 12-hour nursing shifts at a local hospital.

She first learned about Smart Rewards from a ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ brochure that included information about smart thermostats. “I just love it,” Hess said about her smart thermostat. “I have it tagged to my phone, so wherever I am, if I forget to turn the temperature down or up, I can easily adjust it. I can also see what the temperature is in my home at any time.”

Smart Rewards participants receive advance notice of planned temperature adjustments of a few degrees to reduce energy demand. Customers can opt out by simply changing their own thermostats.

Hess keeps her AC at around 78, and she was comfortable enough when the temperature went up to 80. “I had no problem with that. Half the time I’m not home anyway,” she said.

Hess’ positive experience was typical for participants, with 97 percent remaining in the program and 86 percent saying their comfort wasn’t impacted for those few hours during an event.

She noted the prepaid card was a “great perk,” which she used for Amazon and Starbucks, the latter being something she buys frequently. Hess also recommended the program to friends, adding she’s grateful for the opportunity to partner in using energy thoughtfully to support the broader environment.

“I’m participating to the fullest extent on this rewards program,” Hess said.

Learn more about Smart Rewards and watch a video about how it works. for Smart Rewards and buy a discounted smart thermostat.

Here are three ways we’re celebrating Earth Month:

Earth Day

Now in its 29^th year, Tucson’s Earth Day Festival was co-founded by ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ and the City of Tucson. This year, we’re sponsoring the April 20 event at Children’s Museum Tucson, another longstanding ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ partner.

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ representatives will distribute Net Zero Hero capes and shirts to those who pledge to support our aspirational goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Customers are asked to do their part to fight climate change by reducing our community’s carbon footprint, in alignment with the Earth Day theme. Learn more about the Net Zero Hero pledge.

Also at the event, participants can ride energy-generating bicycles, learn more about our energy resources and collect some energy-saving tips.

“When the concept for the very first Tucson Earth Day Festival began in 1995, the City of Tucson and ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ came together to launch the collaborative effort, and we’ve been an active participant ever since,” said Wendy Erica Werden, Manager of Community Investment and Philanthropy. “This festival is one way we show our commitment to working closely with our community partners to direct resources in support of environmental programs.”

The festival runs from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the museum, 200 S. Sixth Ave. Museum admission is free on that day.

Oro Valley Trees

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ is helping the Town of Oro Valley go green for its 50^th anniversary.

As part of its celebration, the town is planning to plant 50 trees at local parks. ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ is donating 10 trees toward that goal and connected Oro Valley to our partner, , which extended discounts for the remaining trees.

The first of those trees will be planed at Town Hall by members of the Town Council on April 26, Arbor Day. The following day, the public is invited to help plant the remaining 49 trees at four parks: James D. Kreigh, Naranja, Riverfront, and Steam Pump Ranch.

“We always try to be conservation-minded and we get a lot of requests for trees in our parks. A lot of times, shade is overlooked when constructing parks,” said Matt Jankowski, Oro Valley’s Parks & Recreation Deputy Director. “This donation is wonderful. It is allowing us to stretch the funds available for us, so hopefully we can purchase more trees throughout the year.”

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ supports tree planting efforts to make communities greener, add beauty, and reduce the heat island effect. Our support has included $100,000 donated toward the in 2021. Our Trees for You program allows customers to purchase discounted shade trees that help conserve energy by keeping homes and businesses cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Learn more about the Trees for You program.

Tucson Zero Waste

Employees inspired by our company’s “green team” volunteer at waste collection events hosted by , including the most recent one on April 6, pictured here.

Thirteen volunteers, including friends and family members, gathered items to be reused and recycled this month.

During the free drive-through event, participants donated items that will be recycled, or properly disposed, such as medication, small furniture and housewares, E-waste, books, and clothing. Volunteers helped with traffic flow and supported various collection booths.

The collection event is held twice a year in April and November, giving residents the opportunity to avoid putting items in the trash. More than 30 ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ volunteers have contributed to these efforts over the years.

“Hundreds of community members participated at each of the events,” said Ariada Woods, a ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ Student Intern and Zero Waste volunteer. “It’s fulfilling to see the event support our community’s commitment to sustainability.”

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s “green team,” officially called Employees Creating Opportunities for Sustainability (ECOS), was formed to give employees a forum to work on promoting resource conservation, recycling and waste reduction both at work and after hours. More than 200 employees are part of the team, which hosts quarterly presentations and other opportunities.

Learn more about ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s focus on environmental stewardship.

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s Business Energy Solutions program helps schools, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and businesses of any size save on approved energy-efficient improvements, reducing both upfront costs and long-term bills. Pima College used the program to install new energy-efficient lighting, sensors, energy management systems and chiller variable speed drives.

“¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ encourages local businesses and schools to explore our programs that can help them realize substantial savings on energy costs while reducing emissions,” said Aracely Lucero, Senior Key Account Manager and ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s liaison with the college.

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ provided nearly $879,000 in rebates to Pima College for upgrades at seven locations in 2023 and 2024. This work was part of an energy conservation contract between Pima College and Trane Technologies for systems modernization with an efficiency focus. The initiative aligns with Pima College’s commitment to sustainability.

As a result of the upgrades, the college is annually saving nearly 8 million kilowatt hours of energy – enough to power 696 homes – or 671 million smart phones. Pima’s estimated annual cost savings will be about $395,000.

“This makes a big impact, not only on Pima Community College, but in the Tucson community. When consumption is reduced, we don’t have to build as many new energy resources,” Lucero said.

Making Buildings Efficient

The upgrades were made at locations across the community, including PCC’s West, Downtown, Desert Vista, East and Northwest Campuses as well as its maintenance and security and main district offices.

“The college is grateful that these opportunities are available through ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ,” said David Clark, Director of Facilities Infrastructure.

Pima collaborated with ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ through our partners, including Franklin Energy, to conduct the work.

Buildings now have replaced older interior and exterior lighting with LEDs, resulting in “substantial savings,” Clark said. Pima also modernized HVAC systems with new controllers, called building automation systems, so the college can adjust thermostats depending on the size and type of facilities – like classrooms or kitchens vs. large auditoriums.

“We’re targeting specific temperature ranges so that the system is not overtaxed. It’s being monitored so it’s not expelling energy needlessly,” Clark said.

In 2022, Pima qualified for about $265,000 in rebates on 14 projects. This year, Pima is continuing to work on additional upgrades to support the energy transition, Clark said.

Serving as Education Partner

In addition to incentivizing energy-efficient upgrades, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ collaborates regularly with the college on education, career preparation, scholarships and student support that enhance the job growth and economic development of the region.

Pima students in programs such as automated industrial technology are learning skills that can be applied for future jobs at ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ, including at our generating stations and control rooms, said Greg Wilson, Pima’s Dean of Applied Technology.

On April 18, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ representatives participated in National Signing Day, hosted at Pima, in which high school and college students commit to completing programs at Pima, much like athletes do for committing to college sports teams.

Learn more about the ways that ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ supports Pima College.

Interested in energy-efficient upgrades for your workplace? Explore ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s programs and request a . Find a to get started.

Employee Takes Steps to Raise Awareness

After his 8-year-old son was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ employee Eric Raatz wanted to connect with other families and do something to promote understanding of the ailment.

Because it was during the pandemic, the Raatz family and another family gathered about 30 to 50 people for an informal walk in a Vail park in 2022. Although the local Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation had previously hosted a similar event, Tucson Take Steps, it was sidelined during the pandemic.

Since then, and in large part through the leadership of the Raatz family, the local Take Steps event has flourished. This year, on April 6, more than 200 participants on nine teams participated in the walk and other activities along a 1.5-mile route at Brandi Fenton Park. Raatz organized a 15-member team of ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ employees, friends, and family members to join in. The event raised more than $40,000.

“It’s important to us to raise awareness, as well as support our son,” said Raatz, Manager of Transmission Control for ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ. “It’s a hidden disease and you can’t tell when someone is in pain and you can’t see what’s going on inside.”

Raatz didn’t know much about Crohn’s, an autoimmune type of inflammatory bowel disease, when his son, Hudson, started showing symptoms at the age of 8. Within three or four months, Hudson lost about 15 pounds. He was barely eating a meal a day, but his parents attributed it to the stress of the pandemic and his frequent mask wearing. Even though he didn’t complain about pain, Hudson got so weak he passed out at school.

Through bloodwork, an endoscopy and colonoscopy, doctors discovered inflammation and ulcers up and down his esophagus and stomach, tearing up his intestines. “We had no idea that he was as sick as he was,” Raatz said.

Now 11 years old, Hudson is on a low dose of chemotherapy, taking a pill every Saturday night and biologics to help suppress his immune system. He avoids dairy and popcorn.

Other than that, Hudson leads a healthy lifestyle, playing on a basketball team that Raatz coaches and recently joining a flag football league. Hudson loves his dogs and math, representing his school in the Math Bowl.

At the Take Steps event, Hudson led the “Hudson’s Herd” team and was recognized as one of the Honored Heroes.

This is the first year that Raatz sought a sponsorship from ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ, which supports the causes most important to employees. ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ made a $2,500 donation toward Take Steps.

“¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ has been a great company to me. They support a lot of community events and I thought this was another opportunity to support the community,” Raatz said. “This shows how ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ gives back.”

Employee Finds Giving Back Lights the Way

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s Monette Greer gets emotional when she thinks about all the needs in the community.

That’s why she spends so much time volunteering, ranking among the top ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ employees for the number of volunteer hours. Last year, she recorded 258 volunteer hours.

“This world can be a little dark and negative and volunteering provides a light. It makes you feel good and there’s inner joy to it,” said Greer, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ Principal Chemical/Environmental Engineer.

Greer dedicates time to volunteering through ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ-organized activities, including assembling food bags at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and participating in the Thin Mint Sprint with the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona.

Most of her volunteer hours were in support of Salpointe Catholic High School, which her two sons attend.

Through her workplace contacts, Greer arranged for an in-kind donation of 11 used wood pallets from ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ to the Salpointe’s Earth Club in early January.

On each Thursday this semester, groups of Salpointe students traveled to Lineweaver Elementary School to design and build compost bins out of the pallets. Lineweaver pupils are using the bins to compost excess food from their cafeteria and material from school gardens.

“Your generous donation will not only benefit our schools but also contribute to fostering a sense of environmental consciousness among our students,” wrote Christopher James, Salpointe’s Science Teacher and Earth Club Moderator, in a note of thanks to ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ. “By engaging them in hands-on composting activities, we are teaching them the importance of waste reduction, organic recycling, and sustainable practices. These valuable lessons will stay with them for a lifetime and empower them to become responsible stewards of our planet.  We are proud to have partners like ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ who share our vision for a greener, more sustainable future.”

Because Greer works in the environmental field, Greer said she was proud to make the connection. “We get so many pallets at ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ and it’s so much material that sometimes we’re paying for disposal. We’re always looking for ways to reuse and recycle,” she said.

In addition at Salpointe, Greer devotes many hours to supporting her sons’ sports teams, from staffing the snack bar to driving players to events. Sophomore Jordan plays football and volleyball and senior Tyler played on the basketball and volleyball teams.

Greer’s volunteer hours qualified for a $500 donation through ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s Dollars for Doers program, which allows employees to request contributions to local nonprofit organizations based on their contributions to our community. Greer directed her donation to Salpointe’s Boys Volleyball Team.

For her volunteer work, she especially enjoys working with youth. “There’s so much need in the community,” she said. “It’s never ending.”

The wood pallets were given through our in-kind donation program, which includes both services and items given to schools, charities, and nonprofit organizations. Learn more about our donations and make a request through the button on this webpage.

Employee’s Most Important Role: Dad and Coach

Randy Vidal fell in love with sports at age six, where he started playing flag football and soccer.

From there, he took up tackle football. basketball, baseball and boxing.

Now the Systems Administrator and father of three is watching his 10-year-old son follow in his footsteps as he participates in a variety of sports, from boxing to soccer and basketball. When his son decided to join the football team last year, Randy thought it seemed like a great opportunity to continue learning about teamwork.

“Football teaches a lot about yourself when others are depending on you,” he said. “It gives youths the perspective that they don’t have to be the ones carrying the ball to have an important role.”

Randy has been coaching youth sports since he was 16, when he was offered a coaching spot for a boxing class in exchange for a free membership. It was a natural fit when he was asked to coach his son’s team.

“Volunteering is important to me because kids look up to the adults in their lives who are their coaches,” Randy said. “I hope that they remember these relationships as they grow up.”

In 2023, he logged 170 volunteer hours as a coach for the Tucson Jaguars, a local youth football and cheer association. During nightly conditioning and practice sessions, Randy kept the team busy with classic conditioning drills: bear crawls, duck walks, tackling drills, and push-ups.

As the season advanced, he taught the players basic football calls and other skills to prepare them for high school play. His team made it to the city championships in the 9-10-year-old division. While they did not win the final game, Randy was proud of the team for their hard work.

“I feel like the kids learning to accept loss was bigger than the game itself,” he said. “The coaches, who are all mentors down to their core, recognized that and gave each kid something to be proud of leaving the field that day.”

After a recent upgrade, the software we use to log energy use occasionally applied off-peak usage to on-peak periods to some customers’ bills by mistake. This happened for seven weeks, from mid-December 2023 to early February 2024, until the error was identified and resolved.

Most customers were not affected by this error. After a thorough review of usage data, we determined that about 4,100 of ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s 447,000 customers may have experienced discrepancies of about 1 percent from their regular usage.

As part of our commitment to accurate billing, we re-billed all potentially misbilled usage at our lower, off-peak rates and assumed a “zero” demand for those periods. This will result in a credit that, in most cases, will be less than $10 for residential customers.

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ is notifying affected residential customers through bill messages, emails and letters. We’re also contacting medium and large commercial customers impacted by this issue.

We’re committed to fair and accurate billing and apologize for any inconvenience this incident has caused. Affected customers will see the credit on their next bill.

The program provides critical support to develop new, sustainable economic strategies for their residents and other stakeholders in impacted communities. Funding is provided by Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP) and ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ (¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ). The following organizations were recently selected as grant recipients:

Pioneer Irrigation Company will receive a $12,000 grant to help cover the costs to support the application writing fee for the Arizona Water Infrastructure and Finance Authority’s Water Conservation Grant Fund application.

The Chilchinbeto Chapter of the Navajo Nation will receive $18,100 to conduct a water study on a new purification plant that removes 98% of contaminants. The study will determine water chemistry, formation, perforation, pump size, recharge rate, and other capabilities.

The Town of Eagar will receive $25,000 for a grant writer to submit infrastructure and development applications.

The City of St. Johns will receive funds to update the city’s general plan to further economic development. The $25,000 grant will be used to hire a consultant.

The Apache County Superintendent of Schools will receive funds to help expand broadband throughout its county. The $25,000 grant will retain Community Broadband Advocates consulting services to help navigate Arizona’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant.

Navajo County will receive a $25,000 grant to help hire a consultant to help with BEAD grant opportunities to ensure access to high-speed internet for all residents and businesses.

The City of Holbrook will receive a $25,000 grant for future economic opportunities. The funds will be used to hire a consulting firm to update Holbrook’s general plan.

APS, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ and SRP pledged a combined $1 million in awards available through the Utilities’ Grant Funding Program. Area-specific tribal, state, and local governments, public schools, economic development groups and nonprofit groups are eligible to apply. More details about submission eligibility and requirements are available

This was the program’s made since the program was launched in 2023.

The fourth grant application cycle is now open. Applications are due by April 15, 2024.

APS and ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ funds for the Utilities’ Grants Funding program do not come from customer rates.

About APS

 serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, clean and reliable energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of , the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is 51% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of  (NYSE: PNW).

About SRP

SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley’s residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals.

About ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ provides safe, reliable electric service to more than 447,000 customers in Southern Arizona. For more information, visit tep.com. ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry. For more information, visit fortisinc.com.

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

We’re working to link our ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s existing 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission system to new facilities serving aerospace development and supply chain industries planned for Pima County’s 500-acre Aerospace Research Campus (ARC). American Battery Factory (ABF) is building its headquarters and first battery cell gigafactory in the United States at the site.

In January, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s plans for an approximately 3-mile transmission line and related facilities that will serve ABF’s manufacturing operations. The upgrade won’t impact service reliability for local residents and other customers in the area. Construction is expected to be complete in 2026.

“Our existing 46-kV infrastructure in the area can’t support American Battery Factory’s long-term energy needs, so the connection to ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s 138 system is critical to provide service,” said Adriana Mariñez, Transmission Line Siting Project Manager. “It’s an important project for Tucson. ABF will have an economic impact of more than $3 billion in Arizona.”

A groundbreaking ceremony for ABF’s headquarters was held in October. The company will produce lithium iron phosphate battery cells at its new facilities and has long-term plans to add 1,000 jobs to the region.

During a project hearing before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee in December, ABF President John Kem described how there is currently no large-scale manufacturing of lithium iron phosphate batteries in the United States.

“Right now, most of the batteries we all increasingly rely on … almost all of the components come from overseas.  And the battery cell is the most important part,” Kem said. “So, we ‘re trying to bring that to the United States with raw materials from the U. S. and North America, and that’ s really the purpose behind what we’re trying to do.”

As the company starts hiring more employees and expanding to four production lines, its electrical needs will increase. “And that’ s where you get into the about a billion dollars aggregate of just investment by us. That doesn’t include all the ancillary jobs and supporting infrastructure that happens in the area,” Kem said.

Pima County Director of Economic Development Heath Vescovi-Chiordi also expressed support for ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s project at the hearing.

“This line would … increase the capacity for electrical service at ARC, which is of paramount importance for our economic development efforts here at the county,” said Vescovi-Chiordi. Upgraded utility service in the area “drastically increases our competitiveness in attracting new large employers to the region.”

For more information about ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s transmission project, visit the project webpage at .

(Photo of ABF groundbreaking courtesy of Sun Corridor Inc.)

Last summer, ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ provided a $25,000 matching grant to help Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona kickstart fundraising for a facility upgrade. The successful campaign has supported renovations and restoration efforts that will allow the 50-year-old nonprofit organization to potentially quadruple its service.

“We’re grateful to have this new kitchen to boost our ability to go out into the community and work with partners to address food insecurity in Southern Arizona,” said L’Don Sawyer, Executive Director for Mobile Meals.

Mobile Meals was founded by dedicated doctors and their spouses, who realized that some patients were returning home from the hospital without a reliable food source. In the beginning, they cooked and prepared the meals and delivered the food to patients. Later, Mobile Meals relied on a variety of hospital kitchens to make the food that was delivered by dedicated and caring volunteers. But the hospitals collectively had limited capacity and capped out at 100,000 meals annually.

In 2021, Mobile Meals had the opportunity to purchase the former El Indio restaurant on South Sixth Avenue. The fundraising campaign helped the group upgrade the building’s facilities to support its operations.

By running its own kitchen, Mobile Meals can now offer patients a menu of choices, catered to their medical needs and tastes, with a centralized location for volunteer pickups.

With the new kitchen, the organization will eventually be able to grow to serve 400,000 meals annually. Currently, the organization serves about 150 meals a day, relying on a rotation of 240 volunteers to deliver to clients – sometimes the only face a patient will see on a daily or weekly basis.

¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ supports Mobile Meals because its work aligns with our commitment to community vitality. Our company and employee volunteers regularly partner with organizations that serve seniors and address food insecurity, including Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and Pima Council on Aging.

Jared Dang, a Lead Pricing analyst at ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ, is one of Mobile Meals’ volunteers. During the pandemic, Dang was looking for volunteer opportunities that he could do safely from home and learned about becoming a virtual schedule coordinator. Because he was working from home, Dang was able to take breaks to answer calls and check emails for Mobile Meals. Since then, Dang has continued the occasional coordinating and has also delivered meals in person.

“Mobile Meals is a very rewarding organization to volunteer for and the clients they serve really appreciate the volunteers. The kitchen has made it easier for volunteers to help,” Dang said. “They are always looking for folks to deliver meals so I encourage those with some flexibility in their Monday-Friday schedule in the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. timeframe to volunteer once a week or even once a month.”

The new kitchen’s impact continues to grow. Sawyer, who started in her role in December, hired a food services director and a dietitian to better serve clients’ needs at the new kitchen.

“With the new kitchen, we can now offer our clients a choice of menu items,” Sawyer said. “Providing options and having the food delivered by a caring individual make a big difference for those who are home alone. This kitchen, along with ¶¶ÄĚĘÓƵ’s donation, allows us to carry out this important work.”