By Justin Mathews | Pinal Post
Salt River Project announced an agreement with NextEra Energy Resources to develop 3,000 megawatts of new solar generation by the end of 2034, according to an SRP press release issued April 30, 2026. The 3,000 MW represents enough capacity to power 595,000 Arizona homes. The Salt River Project solar deal calls for 500 MW of solar to be constructed each year from 2029 through 2034.
For comparison, the Silver King Energy Center, denied unanimously by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors on February 18, 2026, would have combined 800 MW of solar, 800 MW of four-hour battery storage, and 400 MW of natural gas generation on 8,122 acres near Florence Junction. It would have been the county’s largest energy development.
The SRP press release did not identify project sites, acreage, or counties for the new 3,000 MW.
In an April 2026 presentation to the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission, Pinal Partnership President and CEO Craig McFarland told commissioners that Arizona urgently needs new power resources to keep pace with regional growth. McFarland said SRP may need to more than double, and possibly triple, its power system over the next decade. The April 30 press release describes SRP’s stated plan as more than doubling capacity by 2035.
