SRP's Marigold Energy Center Combining 1.6-GW+ of Solar, Battery Storage and Gas-Fired Generation
Arizona public utility Salt River Project will move ahead with plans to build a combination solar, battery storage and natural gas-fired generation plant to boost grid reliability in the Maricopa and Pinal counties region.
The Salt River Project (SRP) board of directors approved development of the Marigold Energy Center to be built in Stanfield, Arizona. The Marigold project will bring together 600 MW of solar power, 400 MW of eight-hour battery storage capacity and a 675-MW gas-fired generation plant.
“The combination of resources at Marigold Energy Center represent a balanced system approach to providing affordable, reliable and sustainable power to meet increasing customer demand during all hours of the day and night,” said Bobby Olsen, SRP associate general manager and chief power system executive, in a statement. “Added investments in transmission infrastructure will further strengthen grid flexibility and help support continued growth across central Arizona.”
Construction will be started early next year, and the project is expected to be completed and operational by 2032. Work on the Marigold Energy Center could employ up to 400 people during construction and about 45 full-time positions once the plant is up and running, according to SRP.
Connected to Marigold will be a 230-kV/500-kV substation and four miles of new 230-kV transmission lines. SRP has filed for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility from the Arizona Corporation Commission to approve the natural gas and transmission portions of the project. Those are required to go forward.
Despite the gas-fired portion of the Marigold Energy Center, SRP touts the project as supporting the utility’s 2035 Sustainability Goals. By reducing the gross amount of emissions per MWh, SRP’s Sustainability Goals aims for an 82% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035 (compared to 2005 levels).
Arizona ranks fourth nationally in solar capacity with close to 14 GW installed, supplying nearly 19% of the state’s electricity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Battery storage installed generation capacity in Arizona tops 26 GWh, SEIA report shows.
SRP provides electricity to about one million customers in Arizona. The state is among the top 10 nationally in population growth, and Pinal County is the fastest growing county in Arizona.
Glendale, Arizona will be the site of next year’s Microgrid Knowledge Conference, focusing on the latest in microgrid, distributed energy and behind-the-meter projects. Microgrid Knowledge 2027 will be May 5-7 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Convention Center.
State of Market Report: Power Quality Fluctuations
New White Paper by Ubicquia
About the Author
EnergyTech Staff
Rod Walton is head of content for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.
Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
He can be reached at [email protected].
EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.
Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.