Apex Clean Energy has applied for a 30-year commercial lease covering nearly 3,900 acres of state land near Buckeye, with plans to build a solar energy plant and battery energy storage system facility known as the Grande Verde Solar Project.
The Arizona State Land Department-controlled site is located roughly a mile north of the NEC of State Route 85 and Riggs Road, according to a 2024 zoning request submitted to Maricopa County.
A local news outlet reported ASLD will hold a commercial lease auction Aug. 18. The starting bid has been set at slightly more than $43M.
Supporting infrastructure needed for the 350-megawatt utility-scale solar project includes new road construction, existing road improvements, solar panel and electrical equipment installation, a new power substation and implementation of the BESS components. The article said Apex estimates total costs to be approximately $740M.
According to the 2024 submittal, “The development of the Project at this location is an appropriate and compatible land use. The nearby existing and approved developed uses are primarily industrial and specifically electrical and/or energy generating infrastructure. The area is considered low density rural with very few residential areas.”
Maricopa County approved a rezoning and major Comprehensive Plan amendment in late 2024. The project will need County approvals for a plan of development and City of Buckeye approval of a site plan.
Apex hopes to bring the project online by 2028.
Arizona State Land Department is the landowner. The project owner is Apex Clean Energy, with project planning and representation by KP Environmental, Inc.
