About Us
Arizona G&T Cooperatives (AzGT)
AzGT is a Member-owned, not-for-profit electric generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative.
Our mission is to provide reliable, affordable power to electric co-ops across the Southwest.
2 cooperatives operate under the AzGT banner:
- Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) and
- Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services (Sierra)
AEPCO Generation
AEPCO owns and operates Apache Generating Station. We also purchase power to meet Member energy needs during peak summer energy use.
- 625 megawatts are generated at Apache Station near Cochise, east of Benson, Arizona
- 6 Class A Member distribution co-ops own AEPCO; we provide wholesale power to these Members, which are in southern Arizona, western New Mexico, northwestern Arizona and California
- 161,000 meters are served by our Class A Members; these meters represent more than 420,000 individual residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial member/consumers
- 5 Class D energy services Members, which are scheduling and training customers
- 200 or so employees work for us
- 1961: AEPCO was incorporated
AEPCO Transmission
AEPCO also owns, operates and maintains:
- 866 miles of transmission line owned all or in part by AEPCO
- 36 substations that transmit our power from Apache Station to northwestern Arizona
- 30 telecommunications towers and an extensive fiber network that is used for phone and data relay services between AEPCO operations centers and substations, and Member cooperatives and customers
Sierra
Sierra meets renewable energy needs for our Members by maximizing solar and other renewable tax credits through cooperatives lenders. Sierra has been involved in 2 utility-scale projects:
- SunAnza, a 3.4- megawatt (MW) solar array and battery energy storage system built in cooperation with our Member, Anza Electric Cooperative in Anza, California, and
- Apache Solar, a 20-MW project at Apache Station, Cochise, Arizona
Sierra’s Board of Directors is comprised of 2 members from the AEPCO board.
Touchstone Energy
We are members of Touchstone Energy®, a national alliance whose members agree to provide high standards of service to customers and maintain a strong commitment to the brand’s promise of integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. Touchstone Energy includes:
- 700 independently owned electric co-ops in
- 45 states