Pattern Energy, a leader in clean energy and transmission infrastructure, and Salt River Project (SRP), a not-for-profit public power utility serving 1.2 million people in central Arizona, have signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for 600 MW of SunZia wind energy.

This agreement will help SRP meet growing energy demand across the Phoenix metropolitan area while maintaining affordability, reliability, and sustainability for customers.

SRP will receive 400 MW of energy beginning in autumn 2026 and will increase its allocation to 600 MW by summer of 2027.

Pattern Energy’s CEO, Hunter Armistead, responded: “This PPA highlights SRP’s leadership and our partnership, showing how a diverse and cost-effective energy portfolio can meet Arizona’s needs today while supporting a reliable and resilient grid for the future.”

SunZia is set to deliver enough energy to power approximately 1 million American homes annually, representing an US$11 billion energy investment across the Southwest. Backed by a 3650 MW wind resource and a 550-mile HVDC transmission line that efficiently moves large amounts of electricity across long distances, it adds a new, clean resource that contributes to SRP’s diverse portfolio of energy resources, which includes hydro, wind, natural gas, solar, battery storage, and other generation.

SRP currently has 288 MW of wind energy serving its customers. The energy from SunZia supports SRP’s plan to more than double the capacity of its power system by 2035 through the addition of thousands of megawatts of renewable energy, as well as natural gas and battery energy storage resources.

Bobby Olsen, Associate General Manager and Chief Power System Executive, added: “This agreement with Pattern Energy plays a key role in SRP’s all-of-the-above approach to meeting the growing energy needs of the Phoenix metropolitan area reliably, affordably and sustainably. This project will triple the amount of wind energy on SRP’s grid, helping us make progress towards our carbon reduction goals.”