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Board approves minor plan amendment and conditional use permit for large solar-plus-storage project with contingency
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Summary
The Board approved a minor comprehensive plan amendment and a conditional use permit for a proposed ~500 MW photovoltaic and battery storage project by Copia Power on ~4,000 acres (including ASLD and BLM land), subject to compliance with local, state and federal laws and agency recommendations such as Arizona Game and Fish.
La Paz County supervisors approved a minor comprehensive plan amendment (MCPA 2025-01) and a conditional use permit (CUP 2025-08) to allow a large-scale photovoltaic and battery storage development proposed by Copia Power.
Emily Skill, a Copia Power developer, told the board the project area covers about 3,962 acres across Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) land, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcels and one private parcel, and that the comprehensive plan amendment itself addresses about 1,000 acres of BLM land to be redesignated from open space/parks to light industry. Copia described the full development as approximately 500 megawatts of PV paired with battery storage, with construction potentially starting as early as 2028 and commercial operation estimated around 2030.
Project impacts and mitigations presented by Copia included coordination with Arizona Game and Fish on a vegetation buffer and wildlife movement corridor, a cultural resources survey that identified two archaeological sites to be avoided, plans to work with grazing lessees to mitigate impacts, and design choices intended to minimize visual impacts and infrastructure buildout. Copia estimated construction water use at roughly 500 acre-feet per year (primarily dust mitigation) and operational water use at about 3 acre-feet annually; the company also projected $2.2 million in property-tax revenue in the first year and annual lease payments of about $4 million to ASLD (which are distributed statewide to K–12 schools). Skill said the project could generate enough energy for roughly 95,000 homes over a ~30-year project life.
Community Development staff confirmed public noticing requirements were met, Planning & Zoning recommended approval by unanimous vote, and no objections were received in the public hearing for the MCPA or CUP. The board approved the MCPA and then voted to approve the CUP as presented, contingent on compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws and the recommendations of reviewing agencies such as Arizona Game and Fish.
Board members stressed the contingency language to ensure the final site plan would incorporate agency recommendations and asked staff to retain oversight as permitting progresses. The approvals do not finalize lease, right-of-way, or BLM/ASLD auction/lease processes — those remain separate steps under ASLD and BLM jurisdiction.
