The ambitious La Osa data center project in Arizona, initially set to be the largest of its kind in the state, is facing a significant scale-down. Confronted with strong opposition from local residents in Pinal County, the project will now be cut down by about 80%.
Originally, the plan by Vermaland for the data center and energy campus near Eloy included 59 data centers spread across 3,300 acres, along with two on-site natural gas facilities and a utility-scale battery storage system. However, during a public hearing, the project’s attorney Court Rich announced a major reduction. “The owner wanted me to come here today and let you all know that he wants to make this project smaller,” Rich stated.
Rich requested a delay in the project’s rezoning and site planning applications to provide more detailed plans. The revised proposal will feature only 11 data centers and cap the energy demand at 1 gigawatt. To put this into perspective, the U.S. Energy Information Administration notes that 1 gigawatt can power approximately 750,000 to 1 million homes annually in the U.S., where the average household uses a little over 10,000 kilowatts each year.
Concerns regarding the construction timeline were raised by Supervisor Rich Vitiello, who noted, “The gas power plant most likely sounds like it’s going to go last, and I’m hearing that it takes roughly five to seven years, that’s a concern.” Vitiello expressed his worries about potential impacts on local power bills.
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors was met with unanimous opposition from the public, receiving about 60 comments and 50 emails against the project. Vivek Bharathan, who traveled from Tucson, shared his apprehension, “I come with a cautionary tale from your neighbors to the south,” referencing past decisions by the Pima County Board of Supervisors that went against public opinion.
Bharathan linked the lack of regulatory details in a similar project, Project Blue, to its unlawful use of Tucson’s water earlier in the month.
Following discussions on the duration of the project’s extension, the board decided to revisit Vermaland’s application in another public hearing scheduled for August 26. Supervisor Vitiello abstained from voting, citing insufficient time to fully address the public’s concerns.
