TWW congratulates the Salt River Project (SRP) Board of Directors for formally adopting new Sustainability Goals for 2035. The goals will now include increased measures to reduce carbon emissions, increase grid reliability, and improve water resiliency. The Board’s changes to the plan came after five months of engagement with stakeholders and customers and a public comment period that resulted in over 4,000 comments.
This transparent and public process resulted in updated 2035 Sustainability Goals that were originally approved in 2017. New goals addressing forest restoration, water conservation, energy efficiency and power generation water use were introduced.
“Through this collaborative effort, SRP has deepened its commitment to long-term sustainability,” said SRP Vice President John Hoopes. “These Board-approved goals are more robust and will help SRP demonstrate leadership in addressing the implications of climate change, including carbon reduction, water conservation and forest health.”
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area’s largest supplier of water, delivering about 800,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users.
Below are the five pillars of the new 2035 Sustainability Goals:
Reduce carbon footprint
The energy sector is responsible for about one-third of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. SRP will strive to decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the primary GHG, from power generation, our internal operations and through other initiatives.
Goals:
· Reduce the amount of CO2 emitted (per megawatt-hour) by 62% from 2005 levels by 2035 and by 90% by fiscal year 2050.
· Reduce carbon emissions from facilities by 30% on a mass basis.
· Reduce carbon emissions from fleet by 30% on a mass basis.
Ensure water resiliency
Through ongoing water management and conservation efforts and by exploring new water resources, SRP will continue to maintain a safe, reliable and resilient water supply.
Goals:
· Reduce water use at our facilities by 45% on a mass basis.
· Achieve lost and unaccounted for water rate of less than 5% on a 10-year rolling average.
· Eliminate or offset power generation groundwater use in Active Management Areas.
· Achieve 20% reduction in generation-related water use intensity2 across all water types.
· Store 1 million acre-feet of water supplies underground – that's almost 326 billion gallons.
· In partnership with Valley cities, support municipal water conservation goal achievements by creating and executing programs to identify 5 billion gallons (approximately 15,300 acre-feet) of potential water conservation by 2035.
Promote a sustainable supply chain, reduce waste
SRP will manage our product choices and purchasing strategies to encourage sustainable best practices. We are recognized for our efforts in recycling, reuse and repurposing operational waste materials to keep them out of landfills.
Goals:
· Incorporate sustainability criteria into sourcing decisions for 100% of managed spend.
· Divert 75% of municipal solid waste by 2035 and achieve 100% by fiscal year 2050.
· Divert 95% of non-hazardous industrial solid waste sent to our Investment Recovery department.
Enable our customers and the grid
SRP will continue to ensure the reliability, flexibility and security of our grid through innovative applications, optimizing existing resources and robust monitoring and analytics. This will enable customers to take advantage of advanced technologies and energy solutions.
Goals:
· Customer programs:
· Energy Efficiency – Deliver over 3 million megawatt-hours of annual aggregate energy savings.
· Demand Response – Deliver at least 300 megawatts of dispatchable demand response and load management programs.
· Electric Transportation – Support the enablement of 500,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in SRP's service territory and manage 90% of EV charging through price plans, dispatchable load management, original equipment manufacturer integration, connected smart homes, behavioral and other emerging programs.
· Electric Technologies – Expand portfolio of electric technology (non-EVs) programs to deliver 300,000 megawatt-hours of annual aggregate energy impact.
· Grid enablement: Enable the interconnection of all customer-sided resources, including solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage, without technical constraints while ensuring current levels of grid integrity and customer satisfaction.
Engage with our communities
SRP is committed to building a sustainable future for all, leading by example and enhancing the communities in which we live and serve. We connect the values of our customers and employees to our business practices each day.
Goals:
· Achieve at least 80% of customers who give SRP a positive rating for its sustainability efforts.
· Engage 100% of employees in efforts that contribute to SRP's sustainability goals.
· Increase SRP's leadership role in forest restoration treatments through partnerships, influence, education and support for industry to thin 50,000 acres per year or 500,000 acres total.