By Salt River Project
The Salt River Project Board of Directors has approved the development of the Marigold Energy Center, to be located in Stanfield. The project will help SRP meet growing energy demand across Maricopa and Pinal counties while maintaining affordability and reliability for customers.
Marigold Energy Center also supports SRP’s 2035 Sustainability Goals for carbon and water reduction.
MEC will include 600MW of solar generation, 400MW of eight-hour battery storage and 675MW of natural gas generation to provide flexible, dispatchable capacity to enhance grid reliability and enable the integration of additional renewables. MEC will also include a 230kV/500kV substation and approximately four miles of new 230kV transmission lines.
The development of MEC is part of SRP’s plan to more than double the capacity of its power system by 2035. SRP will accomplish this through an all of the above approach that plans to add natural gas, renewable and storage resources.
SRP held three rounds of in-person and virtual open houses for community members to learn about the project, ask questions and share feedback, which helped inform MEC planning.
Electrical District No. 3, a regional public power utility serving the communities of Maricopa, Stanfield and the surrounding area, is evaluating a potential partnership with SRP to procure a portion of the energy generated by MEC, enhancing its ability to serve local customers with reliable and competitively priced electricity.
MEC will create between 300 and 400 jobs during peak construction and up to 45 full-time jobs once construction is completed. Construction on MEC is expected to begin in January 2027, and the project is scheduled to be online in 2032.
SRP has filed for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility from the Arizona Corporation Commission for the MEC natural gas generation and transmission infrastructure, which is required to move forward with the project. The ACC Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee hearing for MEC is scheduled for September 21-25, and a decision from the ACC is expected in November 2026.
More information about MEC is available at srp.net/marigold. (Source: Salt River Project)
EDITOR’S NOTE: SRP representatives have confirmed to BEX research staff NextEra will choose the design firm and general contractor for the BESS and solar portions of the project. SRP has not chosen a design firm or GC for the natural gas component.
The transmission and substation infrastructure are expected to be in service in fall 2028, with the solar and BESS components operational by 2029 and the natural gas portion in service by 2032.
