By Pinal Post
Key Points
- Commission recommended approval without opposition on May 21, 2026; Board of Supervisors makes the final call.
- 164-acre site southwest of Red Rock; 680 MW in Phase 1, potentially 1,360 MW with Phase 2.
- Developer Kindle Energy projects coming online in 2032.
- Plant would use about 16% less water annually than current cotton crop, but agricultural use can drop to zero in fallow years.
- Projected annual water use slightly exceeds the existing groundwater right; applicant must document lawful water rights with the state before construction permits issue.
- No specific end-use customers named, though La Osa Energy and Data Center sits about a mile away.
- Commission tightened Stipulation 23 to require a building permit within 10 years, with one possible five-year extension.
- The public hearing would not have been required if the 2025 zoning code update had taken effect; that update was withdrawn after public opposition over unrelated concerns.
RED ROCK, AZ — The Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission voted without opposition on May 21, 2026, to recommend approval of an Industrial Use Permit for the Sunridge Power plant Pinal County project. The 164-acre natural gas-fired facility would replace farmland southwest of Red Rock. A 680-megawatt Phase 1 generating unit would be built initially. A second 680-megawatt Phase 2 unit would follow only if a long-term power contract materializes, bringing potential total capacity to 1,360 megawatts. The applicant’s narrative says power would serve Pinal County and the broader Arizona market through Arizona Electric Power Cooperative’s Resource Governance Process. Participating member utilities would include Trico Electric Cooperative and the Southwest Public Power Agency, which Lesents Pinal County Electrical Districts 2, 3, and 4.
