Ensuring Adequate Water Resources | Governance | Water Usage and Metrics | Reclaimed Water | Zero Liquid Discharge | Well and Pumping Equipment | Community Support and Collaboration
Updated: March 2022
Reliable access to sustainable water supplies is critical in electric power generation. As an energy company based in the desert Southwest, we understand that responsible management of water can have a positive impact on the communities we serve and the environment. To help ensure regional water resources are responsibly managed for the people and prosperity of our state, we take a leadership role in Arizona’s water policy. We also work with two other Arizona energy companies, Salt River Project and Tucson Electric Power, to collect data on the total water used for power generation statewide. Currently, less than 3% of Arizona’s water budget is used for power generation, which is below the national average.

We are committed to preserving the long-term quality and availability of our water resources, and we are guided by a water resource strategic plan that ensures sufficient long-term water resources for our generating resources, promotes effective, sustainable water supplies, and minimizes water-related operational costs. Our water conservation efforts include retiring older, water-intensive electric-generating units, upgrading to more water-efficient technologies at existing plants, increasing renewable energy, and supporting energy efficiency and demand-side management among our customers.

Pinnacle West has been recognized for leadership in corporate sustainability by global environmental non-profit CDP for acting to protect water security. CDP collects and analyzes environmental data and benchmarks companies for investors to use in financial decisions.
Pinnacle West is one of only two North American electric utility companies to achieve Leadership scores in climate change and water security out of the 140-plus electric utilities that were scored through CDP’s questionnaires in 2021. Nearly 12,000 companies were scored in total. Our water withdrawal data reported to CDP is third-party verified.
Read our news story about our recognition and our most recent CDP response.