PHOENIX — SRP wants to build a new lake in the desert that would act as a "battery" for power storage and generation.
The utility said the lake would be part of a pump generator system that would store water and then release it during periods of high demand through a hydroelectric power plant.
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"Pump storage is basically the oldest form of battery," Eric Hannoush with SRP said. Hannoush is in charge of the project, which he said should take about 10 years.
During the day when there's solar power to spare, Hannoush said, SRP would pump water uphill to the new lake.
"And then at nighttime," Hannoush said, "we're able to dispatch that renewable energy by running the water back downhill and powering hydro generators."
The location of the lake has not been decided yet, SRP said. There are currently two options. One is near the existing Roosevelt Dam. The other is closer to Apache Lake. Both would release their water into the Salt River.
The water would essentially be a closed system, SRP said.
The project recently got a step toward approval with a bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill, introduced by Rep. David Schweikert (R-District 1), essentially gave SRP the federal land to build the damn and flood an existing desert.
That bill passed the House and is now in the Seante awaiting a vote.
SRP hopes to have the power plant operating by 2033.
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