PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--From El Paso to Southern California, four million people can count on the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station for low-cost, clean energy delivered safely and efficiently. In Phoenix, the reliability of Palo Verde’s performance was especially appreciated as the city experienced its hottest summer on record, according to the National Weather Service.
All three units at Palo Verde produced low-cost power around the clock from April 28 to Oct. 5 – a continuous run of 160 days. This was the second-longest run for the three units simultaneously in plant history, spanning from the completion of a planned Unit 1 refueling and maintenance outage to Unit 3’s current planned refueling and maintenance outage. Units 1 and 2 continue to operate at 100 percent.
“It is essential that Palo Verde operate safely, efficiently and with high reliability for utilities in the Southwest to meet summer’s intense energy demand and also to provide customers the benefit of low-cost nuclear generation,” said Randy Edington, APS Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer. “Employees take great pride in this accomplishment, which is important to the electricity supplies we depend on every day in Arizona and the entire Southwest. It’s a reflection of their dedication, commitment to excellence, training and hard work.”
Palo Verde’s three 1,340-megawatt (net) generating units are on an 18-month refueling cycle, with two refueling outages scheduled each year – one in the spring and another in the fall.
In addition to the energy produced, Palo Verde has an estimated annual economic impact of more than $1.8 billion in Arizona through taxes, salaries, purchases of materials and services, and more.
Palo Verde is operated by APS and jointly owned by APS, Salt River Project, Southern California Edison Co., El Paso Electric, Public Service Co. of New Mexico, Southern California Public Power Authority and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. Its mission is to ‘SAFELY’ and efficiently generate electricity for the long term,
APS, Arizona’s largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves more than 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state’s 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
