Editor,

I would like to thank the Pinal County Board of Supervisors and the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission for approving the rezoning for the Eloy Valley III solar and battery energy storage project. Eloy Valley III is the right type of energy project developed through collaboration and has direct benefits to utility customers living in Pinal County.

The approval of the solar and battery energy storage project is an important investment in Pinal County’s energy and economic future. The project’s 400 megawatts of solar generation and 400 megawatts of battery storage will provide significant new energy and capacity resources for Arizona. The project developed through Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, a not-for-profit member owned electric generation and transmission service provider, will serve Public Power and electric cooperatives throughout Arizona. In Pinal County, ED2, ED3, ED4, and Trico Electric Cooperative will benefit from the renewable energy project.

As drought and changing water conditions reduce dependable hydropower across the Southwest, utilities must develop additional resources to maintain a reliable and balanced electricity supply. Eloy Valley III can produce solar energy and store it for use during peak-demand periods, helping offset constrained hydropower and strengthen grid reliability. The project will interconnect to the WAPA transmission system using the same transmission system developed to deliver hydropower to federal preference power customers like ED3. That means a more efficient use of existing transmission assets and optimizing solar and battery energy storage with the new realities of federal hydropower.

The project is consistent with the Pinal County Comprehensive Plan and the City of Eloy’s zoning overlay for solar development. This alignment demonstrates that the project supports the community’s established vision for responsible land use, energy development, and long-term economic growth. The project is located miles from the City of Eloy and ensures that the economies of scale benefit multiple utilities in Pinal County and Arizona.

The approval at the September 2^nd Board of Supervisors meeting follows the favorable recommendation of the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission. The project had broad support from Arizona’s Public Power utilities, Arizona electric cooperatives, the Arizona Power Authority (APA), and Southwest Public Power Agency whose customers can benefit from the additional energy, capacity and reliability provided by its solar and battery resources.

County leadership demonstrates that responsible development, energy reliability, and economic opportunity can move forward together through collaboration and with clear benefits to Pinal County residents.

Brian Yerges
General Manager, ED3

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