Copia Power seeks rezoning for 3,100-acre solar and data center project near Phoenix

Most of the project site – about 2,860 acres – would be for utility-scale solar energy generation, while about 320 acres would be used for a gas generation facility, BESS and data centers, according to a project narrative.

It’s part of a planned 30,000-acre digital and power infrastructure campus in the Harquahala Valley, about an hour’s drive west of Phoenix. Copia owns some of project parcels while others are owned by a group of investors.

Copia just completed its flagship project within the larger planned campus – a $1.2 billion, 450-megawatt solar farm with 1,200 megawatt hours of battery storage. In April it received rezoning approvals to expand that initial phase by 700 acres while allowing for data center uses.

It’s now working on its overall Maricopa Energy Centers development, which will have 550 megawatts of solar capacity and 2,200 megawatt hours of battery storage. The project is backed by a $1.7 billion construction loan and has a power purchase agreement with APS. It’s expected to be operational within the next year.