Dive Summary:

• As the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) considers deregulating electricity sales in the state, Arizona Public Service (APS) is shelving its plan to buy two coal units at the Four Corners Power Plant in New Mexico that APS currently jointly owns with Southern California Edison.
• APS planned to spend $600 million securing the additional power and retrofitting the units to meet emissions standards, but deregulation would create economic uncertainly and stiff price competition for the utility.
• “I suspect APS is really saying that the Four Corners plants are uneconomic to run in an environment where the plants might have to compete with lower cost generators from within the state and around the country,” Nick Dranias, a Goldwater Institute policy adviser, told the Associated Press.

From the article:

“The Corporation Commission is accepting comments on possible deregulation and plans a meeting this fall to discuss the comments and information it receives.”