Arizona Corporation Commission

• Jan 7, 2025

  Kevin ThompsonChair designation · Chair

  The newly seated Arizona Corporation Commission unanimously elected Commissioner Kevin Thompson as Chair on January 7, 2025.

• Jan 6, 2025

  Rachel WaldenAppointment · Commissioner

  Rachel Walden was sworn in to the Arizona Corporation Commission on January 6, 2025, beginning her first term after winning election in November 2024.

• Jan 6, 2025

  Rene LopezAppointment · Commissioner

  Rene Lopez was sworn in to the Arizona Corporation Commission on January 6, 2025, beginning his first term after winning election in November 2024.

Address

1200 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2996

Phone

(602) 542-3931Fax (602) 542-3977

Website

azcc.gov ↗

Utility landscape

• Arizona Public Service (APS) IOU

  Central and northern Arizona including Phoenix metro, Flagstaff corridor, and portions of Yuma County

  APS completed a major rate case settlement in 2023 (Docket E-01345A-22-0144) that restructured residential rate designs and increased fixed charges. The ACC has placed continued scrutiny on APS's demand-side management programs and wildfire mitigation capital recovery mechanisms.

• Tucson Electric Power (TEP) IOU

  Tucson metropolitan area and surrounding Pima County, with some service in Cochise and Santa Cruz counties

  TEP filed a general rate case in late 2024 seeking recovery of significant renewable energy and transmission infrastructure investments. TEP's integrated resource plan commitments to coal exit by 2032 remain a focal point in ongoing ACC proceedings.

• UniSource Energy Services (UES) / Southwest Gas IOU

  UES serves Nogales and portions of southern and western Arizona for electric; Southwest Gas serves statewide natural gas distribution

  Southwest Gas has faced ACC scrutiny over rate design and infrastructure replacement cost recovery under its COYL and SAVE programs. Ongoing tension exists between gas infrastructure investment recovery and the ACC's evolving clean energy posture.

• Salt River Project (SRP) muni

  Eastern Phoenix metro area including Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, and parts of the East Valley

  SRP operates as a political subdivision and is largely exempt from ACC jurisdiction, setting rates through its elected Board of Directors. However, SRP's renewable portfolio expansion and distributed generation interconnection policies remain under public and legislative pressure.

• Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) coop

  Rural southeastern Arizona including Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee counties

  SSVEC is subject to ACC jurisdiction for retail rates and has pursued distributed solar and battery storage integration to address reliability challenges in its geographically dispersed service territory. Recent rate adjustments reflect rising wholesale power costs from its Western power supply arrangements.

• Duncan Valley Electric Cooperative (DVEC) coop

  Small rural cooperative serving the Duncan-Clifton area in Greenlee County along the New Mexico border

  DVEC is a smaller ACC-regulated cooperative with limited rate case activity but has engaged in regional transmission planning discussions tied to copper mining industry load growth in Greenlee County.

Key issues

• TEP 2024 general rate case (Docket E-04204A-24-XXXX): ACC hearing process ongoing into 2026, with contested issues including coal plant depreciation acceleration cost allocation, transmission cost recovery, and the appropriate return on equity in a rising interest rate environment.
• ACC Renewable Energy Standard (RES) and clean energy rulemaking: The Commission is revisiting its renewable portfolio standard rules and considering whether to adopt enforceable clean energy or carbon-free standards beyond the existing 15% RES, amid shifting political composition of the five-member elected Commission.
• Distributed Generation (DG) and net metering successor tariff proceedings: ACC is evaluating export rate structures for rooftop solar customers following expiration of grandfathered net metering credits for legacy customers, with active stakeholder proceedings on the value-of-solar methodology.
• Wildfire mitigation cost recovery: APS and TEP are both seeking timely recovery of accelerated vegetation management and grid hardening expenditures; the ACC is developing a formal wildfire mitigation plan approval and cost-recovery framework modeled partially on California and Colorado precedent.
• Grid modernization and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI): APS's deployment of next-generation AMI and time-of-use rate proliferation are under ACC review for consumer protection implications, data privacy standards, and whether associated capital costs are prudently incurred.

Upcoming

• 2026-09-15

  TEP general rate case evidentiary hearing continuation before ACC Administrative Law Judge (estimated); intervenor rebuttal testimony deadlines expected in late August 2026 with hearings resuming in September.

• 2026-10-07

  ACC Open Meeting (estimated monthly cycle): Expected agenda items include final rulemaking vote on updated Distributed Generation export tariff rules and potential decision on APS wildfire mitigation cost recovery mechanism structure.

• 2026-11-30

  Deadline for stakeholder comments on ACC Staff's proposed clean energy standard rulemaking draft (estimated); ACC initiated formal rulemaking docket in mid-2026 with a 180-day comment cycle anticipated.

• 2027-01-15

  Anticipated ACC final order in TEP general rate case (estimated); based on typical ACC procedural timelines of 12–14 months from filing, a final decision is expected in Q1 2027 with new rates effective shortly thereafter.