APS gives up ‘zero carbon’ commitment

PHOENIX — APS told investors Wednesday it will abandon a commitment to producing zero carbon emissions by 2050 and is also scrapping short-term emission reduction goals. 

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The utility has also removed from its “clean energy” web page a commitment to end coal-fired generation by 2031.

“Our aspiration has evolved based on changes to energy markets and customer needs, and our plans are built around doing what’s right for the people and prosperity of Arizona,” said APS spokeswoman Jill Hanks in a written statement to 12News.

APS’s new goal to be “carbon neutral” by 2050 is far less aggressive, leaving room for the utility to keep putting fossil fuels into the atmosphere if it uses offsetting technology.

“APS is walking away from every clean energy promise it made to the public, to regulators, to shareholders, and to the communities it serves,” said Autumn Johnson, Executive Director of the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association. “We are left with vague intentions and zero accountability.”

APS Director of Resource Integration & Fuels Jill Freret told 12News Wednesday: 

“When we announced our clean energy goals five years ago, those were aspirational goals at the time.”

But APS’ January 2020 news release called the zero carbon plan a “firm commitment,” not aspirational. At the time, ASU, business leaders, and environmental groups applauded the utility for that commitment.

APS now uses the term “aspirational” in describing its new carbon-neutral goal.

Freret said APS changed its mind based on new factors.

“We have made some adjustments in order to account for the incredible growth in this state, the incredible demand,” Freret said.

APS statistics show that the vast majority of new energy demand is not from homes, but from data centers.

APS and its investors see big opportunities to accommodate the data center industry and make a lot more money.

APS tells 12News their new carbon-neutral goals align with neighboring utilities, and they remain committed to adding cost-competitive clean energy sources to a mix that right now is “54% clean.”

“We certainly care about the environment, and we care about our customers, and we want to bring a reliable and affordable energy mix,” Fretet said.

“It’s really disheartening,” said ASU student Shaela Patel, a volunteer of the AZ Youth Climate Coalition. 

Patel has been to Washington, DC, pleading her case for companies and government to move quickly to zero emissions. Scientists continue to warn fossil fuels are warming the planet to increasingly unsustainable levels.

“They (APS) set these goals with the intention of helping the people they serve. I’m an APS customer. Those goals were going to help me. They were going to help future generations,” Patel said.

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