Los Matadores de Bullhead City Announces Unanimous Support for Mohave Energy Park

Bullhead City, AZ – Los Matadores de Bullhead City unanimously approved a resolution to support Arizona Electric Power Cooperative’s (AEPCO) and Mohave Electric Cooperative’s (MEC) Mohave Energy Park project at their meeting on June 26, 2024.

MEC and its main generation and transmission provider, AEPCO, are planning for quick start, flexible natural gas electric power generation units in Mohave Valley to address grid reliability and energy costs. AEPCO, like MEC, is a not-for-profit cooperative.

“We’re grateful for AEPCO and MEC and their plans for these flexible natural gas units in Mohave Valley to provide reliable and affordable electricity to our community, especially in times of excessive heat,” says Los Matadores de Bullhead City President Bill Smith.

“Thank you to Los Matadores de Bullhead City for recognizing the importance of this project. If the new natural gas units were already built, the two-cent per kWh adjustor on member bills wouldn’t be necessary. Each summer the project is not in operation is costing members an extra $7 million. Natural Gas + Solar + Batteries = Reliability & Affordability,” said Tyler Carlson, MEC CEO.

A new report by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), categorized Arizona and the Southwest with an “Elevated Risk” status, specifically having “insufficient dispatchable resources,” and at risk of blackouts during summer months. NERC, the organization charged by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with protecting the reliability of the grid, further projects that slow or stalled development of new generation can lead to capacity issues (blackout outages). NERC has been warning for years that soaring demand for electricity combined with generation shortfalls put reliable energy in jeopardy, and the latest 2024 Reliability Assessment shows this threat has worsened.

MEC and AEPCO are proactively taking action to avoid these circumstances by planning flexible, natural gas units and future solar with battery storage. This Energy Park would go a long way in preventing issues of shortfalls and blackouts and would give our members reliability in their electricity provider.

For Mohave Energy Park information, visit the Mohave Energy Park website.

Los Matadores de Bullhead City was organized in 1985 by local businessmen and professionals with the goal of improving the community through civic and government engagement, as a Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce affiliate. All Los Matadores activities are non-partisan, non-political, and non-sectarian.

Founded in 1946, Mohave Electric Cooperative, is a member owned, not-for-profit utility providing reliable, cost-effective power to 37,683 members, 43,500 meters, with more than 1,571 miles of line.