APS Plans to Extend Four Corners Coal Plant
Arizona Public Service wants to keep the Four Corners coal plant running past 2031 as other utilities plan to exit.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Utilities
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Arizona Public Service plans to extend operation of the Four Corners coal power plant beyond 2031, its previously scheduled halt date. Tucson Electric Power and Public Service Company of New Mexico plan to exit the plant in 2031, while SRP is weighing its own participation.
Why it matters
The Four Corners plant is APS's last coal power plant, and its future affects utilities that receive energy from it across Arizona and New Mexico. SRP's decision on participation past 2031 will depend on load growth and the cost of replacement capacity.
Arizona Public Service's extension would move the plant's operating horizon past its previously scheduled 2031 halt, while SRP plans an exit within five years and a doubling of its energy capacity over the next decade. The cost of replacing the plant's energy has not been disclosed, and SRP has not finalized its decision.
The players
Arizona Public Service
Arizona Public Service is the state's largest electric utility and operator of the Four Corners plant, its last coal-fired power plant.
Salt River Project
Salt River Project is a public power utility serving the Phoenix metropolitan area and a participant in the Four Corners plant.
Navajo Transitional Energy Company
Navajo Transitional Energy Company is a energy company owned by the Navajo Nation that supplies coal to the Four Corners plant.
Tucson Electric Power
Tucson Electric Power is the primary electric utility serving Tucson and southern Arizona, and plans to exit the Four Corners plant in 2031.
The details
Navajo Transitional Energy Company supplies the coal for the plant, and says an extension would provide critical revenue to the Navajo Nation. Tucson Electric Power and Public Service Company of New Mexico, which receive some energy from the plant, plan to exit in 2031.
Timeline
2031: The previously scheduled halt of APS operations at the Four Corners plant, and the year Tucson Electric Power and Public Service Company of New Mexico plan to exit.
Within five years: SRP's planned exit timeframe from the Four Corners plant.
Over the next decade: SRP's plan to double its energy capacity.
Industry Dynamics
The planned 2031 halt was the schedule APS had set for the Four Corners plant, and the proposed extension reverses that course. Other utilities' exits in the same year show a divergence among the plant's participants.
Customers of the participating utilities could see changes to their electricity supply and rates depending on how their utility handles the plant's future. The timing of any exit will determine when replacement capacity must be secured.
The takeaway
The Four Corners decision shows how utilities are weighing aging coal assets against load growth and the cost of replacement power. Readers should watch SRP's decision on post-2031 participation as the clearest signal of the plant's long-term future.
What happens next
SRP will decide whether to continue its participation in the Four Corners plant past 2031.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Utilities on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KJZZ.
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