The Box Canyon Solar Project, a 300-megawatt utility-scale solar facility near Florence, has officially begun producing electricity.

That’s according to Electric District No. 3, which is receiving 63½ megawatts of power from the new plant. It is ED3’s first utility-scale solar addition and part of a broader plan to add 100 megawatts of renewable energy by its centennial next year.

“Box Canyon Solar represents the first utility-scale solar project for our portfolio, and together with Apache Solar II, puts us on schedule to add 100 megawatts of renewable energy by our 100th anniversary in 2026,” Leslie O’Hare, a digital content specialist with ED3, said today.

Developed by BrightNight and Cordelio Power, Box Canyon will ultimately supply clean power to 25 utilities under the Southwest Public Power Agency, serving more than 77,000 Arizona homes. For its part, ED3 will generate an estimated 185,000 megawatt-hours annually, or enough energy to power 16,000 Maricopa homes.

The Box Canyon annual output of 900,000 megawatt-hours is expected to offset more than 640,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and conserve 260 million gallons of water each year, according to developers. 

O’Hare said the project helps meet growing energy demand in the rapidly expanding Maricopa region. Solar energy is also a hedge against volatile natural gas prices, a more cost-effective alternative. However, the project is solar-only and does not include grid stabilization or energy storage features. 

The energy milestone comes as Pinal County positions itself at the center of Arizona’s EV industry. Once dubbed the “Detroit of the Southwest,” the county is already home to the Lucid Motors EV manufacturing plant in Casa Grande and is set to welcome a multibillion-dollar EV battery plant in Queen Creek next year. The region is also expanding workforce training through local partnerships, including a new electric vehicle technology program launched by the Maricopa Unified School District and Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology.

Despite the growth in EV ownership, with more than 800 registered EVs in Maricopa alone, infrastructure has lagged behind. The city currently has just six public charging ports for over 12,000 residents per port, with many existing chargers inoperable or blocked by gas-powered vehicles. Tesla superchargers are located 24 miles away in Casa Grande and Chandler.  

While the Arizona Department of Transportation announced plans to install high-speed charging stations along State Route 347 this year, that plan was scrapped in February by the Federal Highway Administration. 

Meanwhile, ED3 is preparing for its next major solar investment to come online later this year. The Apache Solar II project, is under construction in Cochise County. That 38-megawatt project will also include ED3’s first utility-scale battery storage system, capable of storing 153 megawatt-hours of energy. 

Developers estimate that the Box Canyon project will also bring with it an economic boost, projected to generate $43 million in tax revenue over 40 years and support more than $134 million in local economic activity.  

Closer to Maricopa, on the western cusp of Hidden Valley, the Rainbow Valley Energy and Prism Technologies solar projects along Fulcar Road drew a sixth of all Mobile residents in fervent opposition May 15; another 1,100-acre Copia Power solar project near Hidden Valley and Val Vista Roads was approved last year and is scheduled to go online in 2029.