By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Owners of nearly 30,000 acres in the Harquahala Valley near Tonopah are advancing plans to build a $1.2B solar energy development while simultaneously exploring opportunities to sell the water rights under the site, according to local news reports.
AZBEX first reported on the Harquahala Sun III development plan in November 2022. The project, as well as the original Harquahala Sun development that is currently under construction in the area, were initially proposed by Birch Infrastructure, which completed a strategic merger with Copia Power the same month. Copia Power is backed by the global investment firm Carlyle. (AZBEX, Nov. 29, 2022)
Reports say the overall green energy campus will cover roughly 14,000 acres, with another 6,000 acres under option to other solar developers.
More than 4,000 acres are not currently under option but owners expect to negotiate additional agreements over the next two years.
The first phases of Harquahala Sun should be completed early next year and are expected to produce 450 megawatts of energy/year. That development will also include a battery energy storage system, also known as a BESS.
According to the detailed project description for Harquahala Sun III in the DATABEX project database, “The Project will be constructed in approximately four (4) phases with each phase including an approximately 250-MWac or more hybrid solar PV and battery power plant constructed on approximately 1,500 to 2,500 acres. Each phase of the project will include approximately 600,000 solar modules (~4,000,000 modules total) mounted on single-axis trackers, inverters to convert direct current into grid-compatible alternating current, transformers to increase the voltage of the electricity generated, and a battery energy storage system. The Project will also include two 500 kV utility substations and one or more small buildings to house telecommunication equipment. The Project is expected to interconnect to the transmission grid at the Delaney Substation operated by Arizona Public Service.”
Copia has secured a $1.2B financing package for the Phase I, Phase II and BESS projects. The package structure was designed to take advantage of the flexibility of tax credit transfer provisions under the federal Inflation Reduction Act, which is heavily focused on alternative energy development.
Company representatives said they expect future phases to come online through 2028. SOLV Energy has been selected to build the projects, which are expected to create approximately 700 construction jobs through the various phases, according to reports.
The property owners are in discussions to sell the underground water supply beneath the solar campus to Queen Creek and Buckeye. Both municipalities are working on applications to transport water. Queen Creek’s application will be for 5,000 acre-feet/year for 100 years, while Buckeye’s will seek 6,000 for the same period.
Representatives hope to have decisions from the Arizona Department of Water Resources by the end of May.
