Each year, the editorial staff of ENR Southwest chooses an owner of the year – a firm that stands out in the Southwest as a developer, an employer and as a corporate citizen. Past recipients have included the Arizona and New Mexico DOT's, Arizona Board of Regents and City of Phoenix.

This year, I’m pleased to announce that ENR Southwest has selected Salt River Project as the recipient. The firm will be profiled in the March 21st edition of ENR Southwest. 

SRP has provided water and power to the Sonoran desert for over 100 years, and is continuing to lay the framework for a long and bright future.  SRP is the third largest public power utility in the country serving nearly a million customers in the Phoenix area.

Their list of significant construction projects is lengthy, including the #1 top project start from our June 2010 issue's ranking – the $500-million Coolidge Generating Plant. Due for completion this year, this simple-cycle, natural gas-fired peaking power generation station features 12 natural gas-fired turbines capable of producing an electrical output of approximately 575 MW, enough electricity to power approximately 575,000 homes.

Coolidge Generating Plant is being developed by Transcanada and built by TIC - The Industrial Company, with 100% of its output being purchased by SRP. Photo courtesy Transcanada.

The Dry Lake Wind Farm Phase 2 was recently completed, with SRP committing to purchasing sustainable power for the next 20 years. Current and upcoming projects include several solar and geothermal plants, transmission lines, substations and emissions retrofits.

SRP also delivers nearly 1 million acre-ft of water annually to a service area in central Arizona. Built upon a water-delivery foundation first established centuries ago by the Anasazi, SRP now maintains and operates an intricate system of dams, canals and wells. This year, SRP is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt Dam, the largest of a series of dams nestled within the Superstitions east of Phoenix.

We’ll discuss all of these projects and more in our profile, plus we’ll delve into SRP’s deep commitment to community service. One example: during 2010, the firm contributed nearly $3 million to a long list of community charities and arts organizations.

Be sure to check our March 21st issue for more on SRP. If you have any involvement with the firm, or have worked on an SRP project in the past, be sure to leave a comment below and it may end up in the next issue of ENR Southwest!