For Immediate Release
January 31, 2022
Contacts:
- Magen Howard, (520) 586-5561, C: (419) 901-6600, email Magen Howard
- J.D. Wallace, (520) 586-5157, C: (520) 235-4203, email J.D Wallace
Benson – Chris Jimenez has been selected as Director of Energy Services at Arizona G&T Cooperatives (AzGT), bringing to the position more than 10 years of experience in all facets of energy management and resource planning.
Mr. Jimenez will be responsible for delivering a variety of services to AzGT Members including energy management, fuel management, wholesale trading, energy billing, environmental allowances, forecasting, financial evaluations, data analytics, statistical modeling, resource planning, asset acquisition, resource development, and market implementation.
Prior to his new position Mr. Jimenez served as Executive Director of Portfolio Management overseeing ACES’ Western Interconnect commercial operations and West Regional Trading Center (WRTC). ACES, an energy management company, serves 22 Member-owners and more than 50 customers, helping them reduce risk and maximize efficiencies in their energy management operations.
Mr. Jimenez was instrumental in helping develop the ACES WRTC at the Benson campus of AzGT, established in May 2011. Also while at ACES, Mr. Jimenez and his teams were responsible for a suite of services in portfolio management, wholesale power marketing, carbon allowance procurement, strategy, operations, project management, transmission scheduling, hydro scheduling, storage optimization, requests for proposals, risk management, capacity, resource adequacy, mid-marketing, origination, implementations, and consulting.
Mr. Jimenez also held the positions of Portfolio Director, Manager of Operations, and Senior Trader where he excelled in managing, optimizing, trading, and implementing portfolios into Western Interconnect balancing authorities, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), and the Western Energy Imbalance Market.
Throughout his career at ACES Mr. Jimenez has been fundamental to the increased competitiveness and exponential growth of both organizations’ business. He also has a proven leadership track record with employee satisfaction, recruiting, professional development, mentorship, team building, enterprise management, entrepreneurship, budgeting, and reporting to boards of directors.
About Arizona G&T Cooperatives
Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) and Sierra Southwest (Sierra) together comprise Arizona G&T Cooperatives. AEPCO owns and operates the 625-megawatt (combined gross) Apache Generating Station, located at Cochise, east of Benson. AEPCO also owns, operates and maintains 866 miles of electric power transmission line—including line owned in part with other utilities—and 36 substations to provide wholesale electric power from Apache to 6 Member distribution cooperatives in southern Arizona, western New Mexico, northwestern Arizona and California.
Sierra is the vehicle to develop new ways to serve the renewable energy needs of AzGT Member cooperatives and customers, and helps maximize solar and other renewable tax credits. Sierra has initiated two utility-scale solar projects. AEPCO’s 20 megawatt (MW) Apache Solar project is located on AEPCO property adjacent to and northeast of Apache Generating Station. The second project includes SunAnza Phase I, a 2 MW solar array, as well as SunAnza Phase II, which includes an additional 1.35 MW solar array and a battery storage system, all on property owned by Anza Electric Cooperative adjacent to its headquarters in Anza, California.
Combined, the distribution cooperatives that receive AEPCO’s wholesale power serve more than 161,000 meters representing more than 420,000 individual residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial member/consumers.
The Class A Member cooperatives that receive wholesale power from AEPCO include Duncan Valley Electric Cooperative, Duncan; Graham County Electric Cooperative, Pima; Mohave Electric Cooperative, Bullhead City; Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Willcox; Trico Electric Cooperative, Marana; and a California member, Anza Electric Cooperative, Anza.
These Member cooperatives own AzGT and, by extension, AzGT’s Member distribution cooperatives are owned by their members—the people at the end of the line who use the power.
AEPCO also serves 5 Class D energy services Members which are scheduling and trading customers and which include the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Phoenix, AZ; Lincoln County Power District #1, Pioche, NV; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Southwest Public Power Agency, Maricopa, AZ; and Valley Electric Association, Pahrump, NV.
AEPCO is also a Member/owner of ACES, a nationwide energy management company (www.acespower.com) that helps its Members and customers buy, sell, and manage energy more efficiently and with less risk. The AEPCO/AzGT Benson campus hosts the ACES West Regional Trading Center (WRTC), which benefits AEPCO/AzGT Members and customers.