SRP approves Pinal County energy center

The decision

Salt River Project has approved plans for an energy center in Pinal County. The project will combine three types of energy infrastructure: solar power, natural-gas generation and energy storage.

The approval makes the Salt River Project the institution responsible for the decision. The center’s development is the news event, and its planned combination of resources is the central feature of the project.

The planned facilities

Solar panels would provide electricity from the sun. Natural-gas equipment would provide another source of generation, while storage would allow electricity to be held for later use. Together, those elements form the energy center described by Salt River Project.

The project has been characterized as massive. The announcement does not establish a dollar amount, a total acreage, a generating capacity or a construction date, so those figures are not included here.

What comes next

The project will move through the development process following Salt River Project’s approval. Future announcements can establish the project’s location within Pinal County, construction timetable, size and operating plans.