The Cocopah Korner Convenience Store features 24-7 fuel pumps, hot food from Chretin’s To Go, and a convenience store one of the Cocopah businesses on the Cocopah Reservation, near Yuma, Arizona, on August 24, 2023.

The Sovereign Nation of the Cocopahs wants to power this and other nearby businesses with their planned solar power project. Through the Rural Partners Network (RPN), the Cocopah Tribe may work with the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve the Tribe’s energy independence and sustainability and reduce energy costs. Whether on their own or with DOE, the two-part project includes part one, an electric utility meter consolidation converting six small meters to one primary meter with a better Arizona Public Service (APS) rate structure, which empowers the ability for solar generation and future business growth with reduced cost, then part two, solar generation with the installation of a Cocopah-owned solar generation system to power the businesses fed by the new primary meter. The planned solar generation will reduce operating costs by offsetting energy charges from APS.

The Cocopah Indian Tribe, home to about 900 members, is approximately 13 miles south of Yuma.

The Tribe, known as the River People, have lived along the lower Colorado River and delta for centuries. The Cocopahs descended from the greater population of Yuman-speaking people. The Cocopah will focus its collaborative work on housing and essential community facility development.

The RPN is an alliance of the USDA, other federal agencies, and commissions working directly with rural communities to expand rural prosperity through job creation, infrastructure development, and community improvement. In Arizona, The RPN is partnering with two Tribal Nations, each with a rich history, culture, language, and land base. Arizona is part of the inaugural cohort of states with RPN and the only state centered exclusively in Tribal nations.

The Cocopah Korner Convenience Store accepts U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds.

USDA Photo by Jay Pinsky.