Southwestern Power Group

What Southwestern Power Group does

Southwestern Power Group (SWPG) is a Phoenix-based independent developer of utility-scale power generation and transmission assets, with an exclusive market focus on the Desert Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California). Founded in 2000 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of MMR Group, a privately-owned Baton Rouge-headquartered electrical and instrumentation construction services firm, SWPG conceives, permits, sites, and advances power infrastructure projects from initial development through construction-ready or operational status, then sells the projects to investor-owned utilities, independent power producers, or infrastructure operators. The company also arranges equity and debt financing for projects and, through its affiliate MMR Power Solutions, provides EPC and operations/maintenance contracting. Notable historical projects include Gila River Power Station (2,200 MW natural gas, sold to Panda Energy in 2001), Sandow 5 (600 MW lignite-fired CFB at Alcoa Rockdale, sold to Luminant in 2005), Campo Verde Solar (140 MW AC, sold to First Solar in 2011), and SunZia Southwest Transmission (3,500 MW, sold to Pattern Energy in July 2022).

The company's current core product is the RioSol Transmission Project, a 550-mile High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) transmission line connecting New Mexico and Arizona, supported by GIS-based route optimization for corridor planning that balances technical, environmental, and stakeholder constraints. Service offerings span environmental permitting at federal, state, county, and tribal levels; licensing; real property acquisition; electrical interconnection and transmission service arrangements; EPC contracting; O&M; and financing arrangement. The customer base is institutional — investor-owned utilities, regional transmission authorities, and project investors/operators — and revenue is generated through one-time project sale transactions, professional services (EPC/O&M contracts), and transaction fees on arranged financing.

SWPG's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no public marketing channels; business development rests on decades-long relationships with public utility commissions, federal and state permitting agencies, regional transmission authorities, investor-owned utilities, and tribal communities. The team of approximately 23 individuals is concentrated in Phoenix, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico, with senior leadership additions in 2024-2026 (including a new Director of Finance and Capital Markets and a former New Mexico State Senator as Executive Director of RioSol New Mexico) signaling active organizational buildout around the RioSol development and capital raise cycle. A long-tenured general manager transition to Darryl Sockwell in 2026, with founder-era executive David Getts moving to an advisory role ahead of retirement at year-end, marks a leadership succession point for the company.

Name

Southwestern Power Group

Legal name

SouthWestern Power Group

Website

https://southwesternpower.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southwestern Power Group is a Phoenix-based independent developer of utility-scale power generation and transmission assets in the Desert Southwest. The company develops projects from conception through construction-ready status, then sells them to utilities and infrastructure operators such as Pattern Energy, First Solar, and Panda Energy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility-Scale Power Infrastructure Development

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Power, Distribution & Specialty Transformers (3612), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Commissioning, Testing & Energization Services (Pre-Commissioning, Grid Code Compliance) (EUAMAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gas-Fired Power Plant Development & IPP Ownership (Greenfield/Brownfield) (EUACABAI), Utility-Scale Power Generation Asset Management (EUAEAMAA), Medium/Low-Voltage Power Distribution (MCCs, Panels, UPS, Grounding) (EUAEAFAB)

Keywords

• Utility-scale power generation
• Transmission infrastructure development
• Renewable energy projects
• Power project development
• High-voltage transmission lines

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Project Development and Sale: SWPG conceives, permits, and advances power generation and transmission projects to development-ready or operational status, then sells projects to larger operators (e.g., sold SunZia to Pattern Energy in 2022, sold Gila River to Panda Energy in 2001, sold Campo Verde to First Solar in 2011). Revenue generated through project sale transactions.
2. EPC Contract Services: Engineering, procurement and construction contracting services, as well as operations and maintenance contracts for power infrastructure assets
3. Financing Arrangement Services: Arranging equity and debt financing for power generation and transmission projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Southwestern Power Group is an independent developer of utility-scale power generation and transmission assets in the Desert Southwest. The company conceives, permits, develops, finances, and sells power infrastructure projects — including high-voltage HVAC transmission lines, natural gas-fired generation, solar PV, and battery storage — to investor-owned utilities, independent power producers, and infrastructure investors. Services span environmental permitting, real property acquisition, electrical interconnection, EPC contracting, operations and maintenance, and financing arrangement.

Product overview

Southwestern Power Group (SWPG) is an independent developer of utility-scale generation and transmission assets, with a market focus in the Desert Southwest. The company develops and manages power infrastructure projects including the current RioSol Transmission project (a 550-mile HVAC transmission line), along with past projects including the SunZia Southwest Transmission (3,500 MW, sold to Pattern Energy), Gila River Power Station (2,200 MW natural gas), Sandow 5 (600 MW lignite-fired), and Campo Verde Solar (140 MW solar PV). SWPG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MMR Group and offers development services including environmental permitting, licensing, real property acquisition, electrical interconnection, engineering/procurement/construction, operations/maintenance, and financing arrangements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RioSol Transmission: A 550-mile High Voltage Alternating Current transmission project delivering energy to customers in New Mexico and Arizona.

Products and services

• RioSol Transmission Project A 550-mile High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) transmission project developed by SWPG to transport energy to customers in Arizona and New Mexico. Targets investor-owned utilities and regional transmission authorities needing cross-state energy transport capacity.
• Environmental Permitting Services Environmental permitting services for utility-scale power generation and transmission projects, including stakeholder engagement, community outreach, and state agency coordination.
• Licensing and Permitting Services (Federal, State, County) Multi-jurisdictional licensing and permitting services for power generation and transmission assets across federal, state, and county regulatory bodies.
• Real Property Acquisition Services Acquisition of real property including federal, state, and fee land arrangements, plus right-of-way acquisition for transmission corridors.
• Electrical Interconnection and Transmission Service Arrangements Securing electrical interconnection agreements and transmission service arrangements with regional transmission authorities and utilities for new generation and transmission projects.
• Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contracts EPC contracting services for power generation and transmission projects, leveraging parent company MMR Group's electrical and instrumentation construction capabilities.
• Operations and Maintenance Contracts Operations and maintenance contracts for power infrastructure assets, providing ongoing operational support after project commissioning or asset sale.
• Equity and Debt Financing Arrangement Services Arrangement of equity and debt financing for power generation and transmission projects, working with project finance lenders and infrastructure investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ years of continuous operation developing utility-scale power infrastructure in the Southwest
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MMR GroupcoreOthersMMR Group is the parent company of Southwestern Power Group. MMR is a privately-owned construction services firm based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is described as a world leader in electrical and instrumentation construction, maintenance, management, and technical services. MMR provides EPC contracting capabilities, construction management, and technical expertise to SWPG projects.
• MMR Power SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate company that co-developed Campo Verde Solar (140 MW) with SWPG. MMR Power Solutions handles EPC development and construction of cogeneration projects. Provides integrated construction and development capabilities for SWPG initiatives.
• Genova PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Sandow 5 lignite-fired generation project (600 MW) in partnership with SWPG. Project was sold to Luminant in 2005.
• Bethel EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with SWPG and MMR Power Solutions on Campo Verde Solar project (140 MW AC) near El Centro, Imperial Valley, CA.
• Electrical Consultants Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationEngineering consulting firm where Mark Etherton serves as VP of Transmission Planning and Development. ECI leads engineering efforts for the RioSol Transmission Project, providing system planning, substation design, and communications systems expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pattern Energy Group: Acquired SunZia Southwest Transmission (3,500 MW) from SWPG in July 2022; one of North America's largest independent renewable energy developers and operators with comparable utility-scale wind, solar, and transmission development capabilities.
• Invenergy: Independent developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale energy projects (wind, solar, storage, transmission) across North America; directly comparable business model of originating, developing, and monetizing large infrastructure assets.

Broad incumbents

• NextEra Energy Resources: Subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the world's largest renewable energy developer; overlaps with SWPG on utility-scale wind, solar, and battery storage development across U.S. markets with vastly greater scale.
• AES Corporation: Global Fortune 500 utility-scale energy developer and IPP with significant renewables, storage, and grid infrastructure development; overlaps with SWPG in originating and selling utility-scale generation and transmission projects.
• Brookfield Renewable Partners: One of the largest publicly traded renewable power platforms globally; acquires and develops utility-scale wind, solar, storage, and transmission assets in the Americas, comparable as a developer/buyer of projects like those SWPG originates.

Others

• Quanta Services: Leading specialty contracting firm focused on electric and gas transmission and distribution infrastructure across North America; comparable in scope to SWPG's EPC-adjacent delivery model via MMR Group and a frequent builder of projects like RioSol.
• Burns & McDonnell: Engineering, architecture, and construction firm with major transmission, substation, and generation practice serving Southwest utilities; comparable as a specialist infrastructure services provider overlapping with SWPG's development services and MMR's EPC capability.
• MasTec: Large infrastructure construction company with energy, utility, and T&D operations across the U.S.; comparable for engineering and construction services supporting transmission and generation build-out in the Desert Southwest region.

Regional players

• Tucson Electric Power: Investor-owned utility serving southern Arizona with active renewable procurement and transmission planning; a potential offtaker or buyer for SWPG-developed generation and transmission assets in its service territory.
• Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM): Investor-owned utility serving New Mexico with major transmission and renewable integration programs; directly engaged with Desert Southwest grid planning and a potential customer for projects like RioSol Transmission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwestern-power-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southwestern Power Group