By Tom Marcinko | Phoenix Business Journal
Turn on the tap to get water in the Phoenix area, and you might be burning coal to do it.
That’s nearly a sure thing for those getting water from the Central Arizona Project. Ninety-five percent of the electricity CAP uses to pump Colorado River water across the state comes from the coal-burning Navajo Generating Station near Page.
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposing new emission controls for coal-fired plants, the technology is facing an uncertain future. There’s also a matter of whether the landowners will allow Salt River Project to continue operating the Navajo plant.
That has major implications for business across the board, as a shift away from coal could lead to higher costs for power and water. It could affect nearly all of Arizona’s coal-burning generators.
Vision thing
The potential impact on electricity rates of emission controls on Navajo and other power plants has many variables. Consider some recent legal wrangling over Navajo and other coal plants:
Also: The World’s Biggest Coal Company Is Turning To Solar Energy To Lower Its Utility Bill
If you’d like to discuss energy issues, contact Court Rich, Co-Chair of Rose Law Group’s Renewable Energy Department at crich@roselawgroup.com
