Case Study: Modernizing hydropower generation at Salt River Project delivers cohesive automation and control, elevated reliability and efficiency

For more than 120 years, the Salt River Project (SRP) has delivered essential power and water services to customers and communities in central Arizona. Hydropower is one of the oldest and cleanest sources of energy for the Salt River Valley, beginning with the Theodore Roosevelt Dam in the early 1900s, before Arizona officially became a state. 

Today, the electric power and water utility company serves more than two million people in what has become one of the top population growth areas of the nation: the metropolitan Phoenix area. It generates electricity from traditional power generation sources as well as renewable resources, such as solar, geothermal, biomass, wind, and hydropower, to deliver on its mission to provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy and water services to the area. 

To meet evolving demand, the utility continually invests in its energy infrastructure, and its hydroelectric fleet is no exception. SRP is expanding its mix of clean, renewable energy resources, exploring the use of pumped storage to increase hydroelectric generation, and deploying carefully planned hydropower improvements.

SRP recently standardized four dams along the Salt River on a fully integrated automation platform and modern control strategies, enabling greater operational visibility and control, improving production reliability and efficiency, and reducing operations and maintenance (O&M) costs by 30% and troubleshooting time by 50%.

Modernization driven by rising energy demand and grid reliability needs

Continued population growth and extreme temperatures over the years had electricity consumption surging in the power provider’s service area. For example, as Phoenix experienced record-high August temperatures in 2025, SRP delivered a record-breaking amount of energy to its customers. 

With increasing loads heightening the need to optimize generating resource availability and reinforce grid reliability, SRP decided to modernize the legacy generator excitation systems at four hydropower plants: its Roosevelt, Horse Mesa, Mormon Flat, and Stewart Mountain dams. Together, these dams generate 265 megawatts of hydropower – enough to power more than 60,000 average-sized homes annually. 

Excitation systems are essential to hydropower generation as they provide regulated DC current to the field windings of the generator. Establishing consistent excitation systems and controls across the plants would increase reliability and performance, reduce costs, and create efficiencies in training, operations, maintenance, and the parts supply chain. 

“As the long-time operator of the Bureau of Reclamation’s dams, we have a responsibility to ensure delivery of a reliable, clean, and continuous source of power the community depends on,” explains Shari Brady, hydro electrical engineer at Salt River Project.

Standardized automation and control strengthen hydropower reliability across four dams

To standardize excitation system automation and control, SRP chose the Ovation Automation Platform from Emerson, which is specifically designed to support smarter, more efficient, and scalable power and water industry operations. Modernizing its plant and excitation controls with this solution would help improve the reliability and efficiency of renewable energy production and increase energy security in the face of growing demand. 

Together, the companies embarked on a multi-year hydropower modernization project at the four dams. As part of the platform, SRP now has custom Ovation Excitation Systems seamlessly integrated into its existing Ovation distributed controls at the four dams. Two of the new excitation systems are for pump and energy storage units that require unique integration when switching to pump mode.

The unified, cohesive plant system improves the Arizona power provider’s hydroelectric capabilities while also simplifying operations and maintenance. The same spare parts are used across the hydro fleet, training is streamlined, operators have a common user interface, and there is a single point of contact for automation service and support.

Integrated controls boost operational reliability, streamline maintenance, and reduce O&M costs

The new solution has SRP better equipped for the future with an improved ability to ensure operational continuity and strengthen grid performance. Quantified gains include:

• O&M costs reduced by 30%
• Troubleshooting time cut by 50%
• Unit reliability maintained in the 90th percentile.

Additionally, enhanced operational visibility helps to keep critical startup and shutdown procedures efficient, avoiding delays that could have doubled their duration. 

“By standardizing on Emerson’s fully unified Ovation Automation Platform across our hydro fleet for excitation and plant control – and through close collaboration between project teams – we completed all system installations on time, even with aggressive schedules,” says Brady. “We now have greater operational insight and easier troubleshooting, which helps us maintain unit reliability in the 90th percentile.”

Hydropower modernization secures reliable, sustainable power for the Phoenix region

The hydropower modernization project delivered on its goal to enhance support for a reliable, clean, and continuous supply of power for SRP’s customers, while also contributing to a secure water and clean energy future for the metropolitan Phoenix area.

“Increased visibility and reliability of hydro operations help Salt River Project ensure continuous operation to efficiently supply their customers with the power they rely on 24/7,” says Bob Yeager, president of Emerson’s power and water business. 

Nick Kozack, director of North America services for Emerson’s power and water solutions business, adds: “By standardizing on a unified Ovation automation platform, SRP has created a powerful foundation for digital transformation across its hydropower fleet. This architecture not only streamlines operations and simplifies lifecycle support but also opens the door to integrating our growing suite of AI-based tools for the Ovation platform, helping reduce unplanned downtime, extend asset life and lower total cost of ownership.”