Salt River Project announced its participation as one of 18 anchor sponsors in the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative, jointly led by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Gas Technology Institute.

SRP is the first Arizona utility to be part of the LCRI, which is an international collaborative spanning the electric and gas sectors that will help advance global, economy-wide deep decarbonization, according to a release.

“Large-scale investment and information sharing with partners from across the country and world translates to dramatic impact and significant steps towards a zero-carbon future,” stated Mike Hummel, CEO and general manager of SRP and member of EPRI’s Board of Directors. “While SRP has our own aggressive goals to reduce carbon emissions, our work as part of the LCRI will further develop low-carbon technologies and processes that will enable more sectors, such as transportation and industry, to de-carbonize.”

The LCRI brings industry stakeholders together to conduct clean energy research and development for society’s benefit. Seeded with $10 million from the EPRI collaborative, initiative funding is expected to be leveraged many times over its $100 million target through public and private collaboration, the release states.

Part of the insights SRP will bring to the LCRI will be the utility's ongoing research and findings with Arizona State University.

“SRP’s work with ASU will be propelled forward with help from the LCRI. We now have the opportunity to observe and test our combined research on a much grander scale, with the ability to ask new questions and test new theories,” Mr. Hummel stated.

The LCRI is targeting advancements in low-carbon electric generation technologies and low-carbon energy carriers, such as hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic fuels and biofuels. This worldwide collaborative will:

• Identify and accelerate fundamental development of promising technologies;
• Demonstrate and assess the performance of key technologies and processes; and
• Inform key stakeholders and the public about technology options and potential pathways to a low-carbon future.

“Joining the LCRI was a natural choice for SRP. We recognize that electrifying our global economy with clean energy, and finding cost-effective solutions to get there, are critical next steps to our long-term sustainability and addressing the implications of climate change,” Mr. Hummel stated.

As part of the SRP 2035 Sustainability Goals, the utility is committed to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by generation (per megawatt-hour) by 62% from 2005 levels. In addition, SRP has committed to reducing carbon intensity by 2050 by 90% from 2005 levels.