La Paz County approves Eagle Eye Energy Center plan with condition capping gas plant at 50% annual operation

The La Paz County Board of Supervisors on June 1 approved a minor comprehensive plan amendment (CPA‑2026‑01) and a conditional use permit (CUP‑2026‑03) that clear the way for the Eagle Eye Energy Center, a proposed utility‑scale solar, battery and natural‑gas facility north of Wenden.

Eric Ellis, executive vice president of BrightNight, and Adam Furman, the project’s lead developer, told the board the project combines up to 400 megawatts of solar, up to 400 megawatts of battery energy storage and up to 600 megawatts of natural‑gas generation. Furman said the solar and battery portions could occupy roughly 2,500 acres and the gas generation site about 30–50 acres, and that the project will connect to the Harkovar substation on a proposed five‑mile gen‑tie crossing BLM land.

The developers said they have completed environmental and technical surveys — wetland delineation, desert tortoise and native‑plant surveys, hydrology and geotechnical work — and that the studies “came back clean.” Furman said remaining recommendations from Arizona Game and Fish will be incorporated into the construction and operation plans.

Supervisor questions focused on how often the gas plant would run and what emissions would look like if the facility operated at higher capacity. Michael Crabbe, the company’s air‑permitting and emissions expert, said the project will be regulated under state and federal air permits, will be subject to quarterly reporting and Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) and faces stiff penalties for falsifying data. “It will probably be 30 to 50% as the absolute max cap,” Crabbe said of modeled capacity factors; he added that federal rules governing grid export and state permitting interplay will control run time.

To preserve local review, the board added a fourth condition to the CUP requiring the gas plant not operate more than 50% of the year on an annual basis without returning to La Paz County for additional approval. Eric Ellis confirmed the company would return to the county if it sought to exceed that threshold. “If we saw we wanted to operate more, we would have to come back to you,” Ellis said on the record.

Board staff and the applicants also noted remaining external approvals and permits: a BLM right‑of‑way grant (the company said the BLM has authorized processing), an Arizona Corporation Commission (CEC) permitting process with public hearings expected in August, and an ADEQ air permit application. Adam Furman said the team expects to complete entitlements by August with an aim to begin initial mobilization by the end of the year and substantial construction next year.

Developers described voluntary community investments they propose alongside the project: a $200,000 scholarship program targeted to Salome High School students in coordination with Arizona Western College, contributions to local erosion control programs, and main‑street beautification efforts in Salome and Wenden. BrightNight estimated local fiscal benefits of up to $350 million to La Paz County agencies and up to $400 million statewide over 30 years, with up to 850 direct construction jobs phased over build‑out and roughly 40 long‑term jobs once fully operational.

Water demand was a recurring question. Furman gave project estimates of about 4.75 acre‑feet for construction over an 18‑month period and approximately 12 acre‑feet per year for operations (solar, battery and gas combined). Eric Ellis added that a similar project in Pinal County had metered construction water use of about 350 acre‑feet over 15 months, saying the company intentionally provides conservative estimates.

The board voted to approve CPA‑2026‑01 and CUP‑2026‑03 with the community development conditions (an emergency response plan, compliance and reporting obligations, and a requirement to seek county approval before expanding the approved project) and the newly adopted 50% annual operation cap on the gas plant. The applicants accepted the added county condition. External permitting and regulatory reviews remain before construction can begin.