Via Pattern Energy
By Mark Cowling | Pinal Central
A single power line, SunZia Transmission isn’t likely to stand out when construction begins in central Pinal County late this year, but it will be part of the largest renewable energy project in U.S. history.
The line will begin 550 miles away in central New Mexico at what is being planned as the largest wind farm in the Western Hemisphere. The effort, which was begun by other developers in 2006, is now owned by Pattern Energy.
The line will enter Pinal County at its southeast corner and end in the Eleven Mile Corner area. A converter station will change the electricity from direct current to alternating current for the last half-mile of its journey to the existing Pinal Central Substation, where the power will go onto the grid to serve markets in Arizona and California.
