Local
Casa Grande clears 954-acre site for data center campus
Casa Grande has approved a 954-acre data center campus as Pinal County officials have rejected several large data and energy proposals in unincorporated areas. The contrasting decisions highlight how development prospects differ across the county.
A 954-acre data center campus has been approved in Casa Grande, even as Pinal County has turned away major data center and energy proposals in unincorporated parts of the county.
The approval puts Casa Grande among the county’s cities open to large-scale projects, according to reporting published Oct. 25. The available details did not identify the campus developer or specify its construction schedule, power demand or water needs.
The county’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted again last week to deny a proposed gas-fired power plant with battery storage, despite the applicant reducing the planned capacity from 500 megawatts to 250 megawatts.
In August, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors rejected Vermaland’s proposed La Osa Energy Center, which was described as potentially the state’s largest data center campus. The developer had reduced its proposal from as many as 59 data center buildings to 11.
The decisions underscore that approval in one Pinal County jurisdiction does not guarantee support elsewhere. Data centers can bring investment and construction, but their substantial electricity and water requirements make local review of resource impacts an important part of evaluating proposals in Arizona’s arid, fast-growing communities.