What Palo Verde Generating Station does

Palo Verde Generating Station is a three-unit, 4,200 megawatt pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant located in Tonopah, Arizona — the largest power generator in the western United States and one of the nation's largest clean-air energy producers. The station is jointly owned by Arizona Public Service (APS, the operating partner), Salt River Project, El Paso Electric, Southern California Edison, PNM, and Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, with electricity sold to these six utility co-owners under long-term power purchase agreements and ultimately distributed to approximately four million homes and businesses across Arizona, West Texas, New Mexico, and Southern California. The plant generates more than 32 million megawatt-hours of carbon-free baseload electricity annually and has been in commercial operation for over 40 years.

The station employs roughly 2,000 full-time workers (approximately one in three being veterans) and operates under an NRC nuclear license. Revenue mechanics are regulatory rather than market-based: as a regulated nuclear asset with a defined offtaker consortium, output is dispatched to the owner-utilities under long-term PPAs and pricing flows through their respective regulated rate structures rather than competitive wholesale markets. Beyond generation, Palo Verde operates supplementary programs in K-12 nuclear-science education, STEM workforce development with institutions including MIT, University of Arizona, ASU, and community colleges, and community partnership programs across Arizona.

In March 2026 APS filed a Subsequent License Renewal Application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeking 20-year license extensions for all three units (targeting operations through 2065-2067), and the owners are collaborating with Tucson Electric Power and SRP to evaluate advanced nuclear technologies including small modular reactors as a potential future expansion at or near the site. Palo Verde contributes approximately $2.6 billion annually to Arizona's economy, pays nearly $56 million in annual property taxes as the state's largest single taxpayer, and spends roughly $201 million annually with 1,200 Arizona businesses.

Name

Palo Verde Generating Station

Legal name

Arizona Public Service Company

Website

https://paloverde.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Palo Verde Generating Station is a three-unit, 4,200 MW nuclear power plant in Tonopah, Arizona — the largest power generator in the western United States — jointly owned by six utilities and selling carbon-free baseload electricity under long-term power purchase agreements to power four million homes and businesses across the Southwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nuclear Power Generation

NAICS

Nuclear Electric Power Generation (221113), Electric Power Generation (22111)

akta.pro primary industry

Control Room, Human Factors & Operator Support Systems (HMI, Alarms, Procedures) (EUAKADAK)

Keywords

• Nuclear power generation
• Baseload electricity supply
• Carbon-free energy
• Power purchase agreements
• Nuclear plant operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Tonopah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Electricity generation and sales: Generates and sells electricity to utility company partners under long-term power purchase agreements. As a regulated nuclear facility, revenue is derived from electricity generation sold to parent company APS and co-owner utilities serving millions of customers in the Southwest.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Palo Verde Generating Station is a three-unit pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant located in Tonopah, Arizona, producing 4,200 megawatts of carbon-free baseload electricity. The facility generates over 32 million megawatt-hours annually and sells that electricity under long-term power purchase agreements to its six co-owning utility partners for distribution to approximately 4 million homes and businesses across the Southwest United States.

Product overview

Palo Verde Generating Station is a nuclear power facility comprising three reactor units with a combined capacity of 4,200 megawatts, making it the largest power generator in the western United States. The station operates as the heart of Arizona Public Service's generation fleet, producing over 32 million megawatt-hours of clean, carbon-free electricity annually — enough to power more than 4 million homes across Arizona, West Texas, New Mexico, and Southern California. The facility has been operating for over 40 years. Beyond power generation, the station supports supplementary offerings including nuclear science educational resources (lesson plans, STEM outreach programs), community and industry partnerships (with organizations such as MIT, ASU, Nuclear Museum, and Nuclear Science Week), economic impact initiatives (with ~$2.6B annual contribution to Arizona's economy), and direct employment opportunities at the Tonopah facility. The site is jointly owned by APS, Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power/El Paso Electric, Southern California Edison, PNM, and Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Palo Verde Generating Station — Nuclear Power Generation

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,200 megawatts of installed capacity - largest in western US
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Salt River Project (SRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owner of Palo Verde Generating Station; SRP participates in the joint venture to distribute nuclear-generated electricity to its customers as part of the power purchase arrangement.
• Tucson Electric PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with Tucson Electric Power to explore new nuclear technologies including small modular reactors (SMRs) for future energy development.
• Arizona Public Service (APS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary operator and co-owner of Palo Verde Generating Station. APS operates and manages the plant, distributing electricity through its utility grid.
• El Paso ElectriccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owner of Palo Verde Generating Station; distributes nuclear-generated electricity to West Texas customers through its utility grid.
• Southern California EdisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owner of Palo Verde Generating Station; distributes nuclear-generated electricity to Southern California customers.
• PNM (PNM Resources)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owner of Palo Verde Generating Station; distributes nuclear-generated electricity to New Mexico customers.
• Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owner and municipal utility partner; distributes nuclear-generated electricity to Los Angeles customers.
• MITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting STEM initiatives; provides academic collaboration for nuclear science education programs.
• University of ArizonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting STEM initiatives and nuclear science education for students and teachers.
• Arizona State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting STEM education programs and nuclear science curriculum development.
• Estrella Mountain Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting vocational training and STEM education pathways for nuclear industry careers.
• West MECminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer and technical education partner supporting workforce development for nuclear industry careers.
• Grand Canyon University (GCU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting STEM initiatives and nuclear science education programs.
• National Museum of Nuclear Science & HistorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner and sponsor of Nuclear Science Week; supports public education on nuclear science benefits for energy, medicine, and technology.
• Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partner supporting nuclear energy advocacy and policy development.
• Nuclear Science WeekcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual event sponsor highlighting nuclear science innovation in energy, healthcare, space exploration, and technology.
• Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular ImagingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner supporting medical applications of nuclear technology including imaging and isotope development.
• North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner supporting next-generation workforce development in the nuclear sector.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• South Texas Project: Two-unit PWR nuclear plant near Bay City, Texas, jointly owned by STP Nuclear Operating Company and a consortium including Austin Energy, CPS Energy, and other Texas utilities. Closely comparable multi-utility consortium ownership and PWR baseload model to Palo Verde.
• Catawba Nuclear Station: Two-unit PWR plant in South Carolina operated by Duke Energy. Comparable as a large multi-unit PWR facility serving Southeast US load under regulated utility ownership with similar license renewal timeline pressures.
• Limerick Generating Station: Two-unit BWR plant in Pennsylvania operated by Constellation Energy. Comparable as a large multi-unit nuclear baseload asset in a competitive US power market pursuing similar license extension and zero-carbon valuation thesis.
• McGuire Nuclear Station: Two-unit PWR plant in North Carolina operated by Duke Energy. Comparable as a multi-unit PWR nuclear asset with similar baseload dispatch profile, license term, and regulated utility offtake.
• Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant: Two-unit PWR plant in Texas operated by Vistra (formerly TXU/Energy Future Holdings-related). Comparable as a multi-unit PWR facility supplying baseload power to Texas utilities with similar regulatory and license renewal dynamics.
• Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station: Two-unit PWR plant in Illinois operated by Constellation Energy. Comparable as a large multi-unit PWR nuclear asset operating in a regulated/competitive Midwestern US power market with similar baseload economics.
• Diablo Canyon Power Plant: Two-unit PWR plant on California's Central Coast operated by Pacific Gas & Electric. Comparable large PWR nuclear asset serving a western US utility grid that is pursuing decarbonization and license extension considerations.
• Vogtle Electric Generating Plant: Southern Company's two-unit (with two newer AP1000 units) PWR nuclear plant in Georgia. Comparable as a large multi-unit US nuclear baseload asset operating under regulated utility offtake and pursuing similar license renewal economics.
• Byron Nuclear Generating Station: Two-unit PWR plant in Illinois operated by Constellation Energy. Comparable as a multi-unit PWR baseload nuclear asset with similar operating profile, NRC license renewal considerations, and regional utility offtake structure.
• Surry Nuclear Power Plant: Two-unit PWR plant in Virginia operated by Dominion Energy. Comparable as a multi-unit PWR nuclear asset with similar license timing, regulated utility offtake, and aging-fleet capital planning considerations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/palo-verde-generating-station

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Palo Verde Generating Station