Arizona Corp. Commission
Lea Márquez Peterson is a Commissioner at the Arizona Corporation Commission.
In discussions with ten Commissioners from every end of the country, PUF's Paul Kjellander in late July asked about what's driving the energy transition in their states, their state's policies, barriers for the transition to overcome, and risks, also the role of consumer-owned energy.
PUF's Paul Kjellander: What do you see as the primary reasons driving the energy transition for utilities in the State of Arizona?
Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson: I was appointed in 2019, and the Commission had started the conversation about transition years before. I stepped into the middle of the debate on whether we mandate a clean energy transition in the State of Arizona.
After about four years of debate, we did not mandate it, but have fully supported the utilities' commitments that they've made individually based on their own diverse energy resources mix.
They're continuing to move in that direction. Ultimately, they're all one hundred percent carbon-free by 2050.
Some of them are moving more rapidly than others, but it's being led by the decarbonization efforts, the requests from customers, and large companies that continue to come to Arizona.
They've made a commitment to close their coal plants by 2031, 2032. That's driving it. Also, the need for a balanced portfolio, and to keep a lower cost of generation top of mind.