Local Opinion: TEP focused on Clean Energy Solutions for our entire community

Tucson Electric Power is working hard to make Tucson’s energy supply as clean as we can as fast as we can while keeping our service affordable and reliable. We know we need to do our part to combat climate change, a commitment that guides our long-term energy resource plans.

While others debate what could, should or can’t be done, TEP is making positive progress, including a 32% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions over just the past three years. We’re retiring older fossil-fueled plants, investing in wind, solar and storage projects and working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 80% by 2035.

It’s easy to take all this for granted, despite the daunting challenge of providing stable power everywhere it’s needed. Making that happen requires another achievement that often goes unappreciated: developing pragmatic solutions to shared challenges.

When we invest in new energy resources and infrastructure, we do so on behalf of everyone we serve. Our projects must be practical and prudent, as their cost will be borne by customers who must balance them against other pressing needs.

That’s why we're overseen by elected state regulators who scrutinize our expenses and set our rates. This arrangement keeps us invested in successful, efficient operations while holding us accountable to the public we serve.

Unlike other businesses, TEP is obliged by law to serve the public interest. To keep that commitment, we must deliver solutions that work — every day, around the clock, for everyone.

That approach is reflected in our ongoing update to our energy resource plans in consultation with local stakeholders. Our next 15-year Integrated Resource Plan will guide our development of cleaner energy sources that can reliably support future growth in the face of increasingly extreme weather. This path forward must be achievable, affordable, and designed to serve the best interests of all our customers.

We’ll take this same approach the next time we seek a new franchise agreement with the City of Tucson. Last month, city voters rejected Proposition 412, which sought to pair an updated franchise with new support for underground utility lines and local climate action efforts, funded by a new, higher fee.

The complex measure resulted from extensive collaboration with the Tucson Mayor and Council and other city leaders. While I’m glad we tried to be responsive to stakeholder concerns, voters clearly weren’t comfortable straying from a more traditional, cost-conscious proposal.

Most franchises simply grant utilities access to public rights of way for a fee that, like other operating costs, is passed along on customers’ monthly bills. Since our current franchise extends through April 2026, we’ll likely take some time before asking the Mayor and Council to propose a more typical agreement for voter approval — one not burdened by additional terms or added costs.

Each of us has a part to play in building a cleaner energy future, which is why we partner with customers to help achieve their own objectives. Our TEP GoSolar programs make it easy for anyone to buy some or all of their energy from our local solar arrays. We’re also working in partnership with the City of Tucson toward an agreement to provide up to 100% clean energy for city operations, like our similar agreement with the University of Arizona.

The plans we execute for our community at large, though, must serve the broad public interest. They must address climate change head on, with proven, pragmatic strategies our customers can afford. They also must maintain safe, reliable electricity, a critical service we simply cannot live without.

Achieving this balance is a challenge we must face together. With a local energy grid that connects us all, we’re all invested in TEP’s efforts to maintain affordable, reliable, and increasingly sustainable service. We’ll keep working every day to keep that promise for our entire community.