Four large-scale projects on Pinal County hearing agendas June 16-18, 2026, could expand county energy infrastructure and add a new residential development south of the City of Maricopa. Two are battery projects: a conventional lithium facility in San Tan Valley and a non-lithium research site in Florence. The Florence pilots look into solutions to lithium’s fire safety, supply chain, and discharge time problems. Conventional lithium-ion storage typically targets four hours, while the Florence pilots aim for 10 hours — long enough to store daytime solar for release back to the grid overnight. The agenda also includes a potential 1,360-megawatt natural gas plant near Red Rock, in the vicinity of the proposed La Osa data center. The fourth is a planned 1,008-home community south of the City of Maricopa.
Housing development continues south of Maricopa
McLean Ranch is on the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission’s June 18 agenda, with staff recommending the case be continued.
The development covers ±308.8 acres northeast of the intersection of W Teel Road and N Green Road, south of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. Plans include up to 1,008 single-family homes at 3.5 units per acre, a 5-acre municipal services parcel, and 15.7 acres of commercial use.
A member of the public recently raised concerns about the 2021 neighborhood meeting, and the project has since changed — with a reduced commercial area and revised roadway alignment. The Planning Manager recommended a new neighborhood meeting, and the case would return July 16 if the meeting report reaches staff by July 3, or August 20 if not.
Palomino Ranch sign package
Already rezoned, Palomino Ranch is on the BOS agenda June 17 with a sign package: up to ±542 sq ft of permanent signage plus up to ±500 sq ft of temporary signage per sales office. The community is planned for 2,102 single-family homes plus elementary and junior high school sites. If approved, residents would see entry monuments, parcel signs, and sales-office signs during build-out.
Battery storage on the Pinal County hearings agenda
The Copper Crossing pilots — utility-scale research projects testing non-lithium battery chemistries — sit inside Salt River Project’s Energy and Research Center in northern Florence. Copper Basin is a separate Plus Power project on adjacent land in San Tan Valley. Both connect to the grid through SRP’s Abel Substation, and both face votes this week.
Copper Basin Energy Storage. A 250-megawatt, 2,000-megawatt-hour battery facility planned for San Tan Valley reaches the Pinal County Board of Supervisors on June 17. Texas-based Plus Power plans to develop, own, and operate the project on a 25-acre site at the southwest corner of Bella Vista Road and Attaway Road.
The project includes a rezoning to industrial. The Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 9-0 on May 21, and the San Tan Valley Town Council recommended approval on June 3 after addressing resident questions. Plus Power targets commercial operation in 2031.
For background, see Pinal Post coverage of the May 21 commission recommendation and the council’s response to resident questions.
Copper Crossing Battery Pilots. A 33.546-acre land use change at SRP’s Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center reaches the Florence Town Council on June 16. The amendment shifts the property from Suburban Neighborhood to Industry under the town’s general plan. SRP uses the site to research non-lithium battery alternatives — non-flammable chemistries that store daytime solar for return to the grid overnight.
The two pilots are CMBlu Energy’s Desert Blume, using an Organic SolidFlow battery system, and ESS Tech’s Project New Horizon, using iron flow chemistry. Each delivers 5 megawatts for 10 hours. The Florence Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval without opposition on May 21, and SRP expects both pilots online by December 2027.
For details, see Florence Battery Storage Research Site Advances With Land Use Change.
Beyond Copper Crossing: SRP’s Energy Dome pilot
On June 15, SRP and Energy Dome announced another non-lithium research pilot: a 19-megawatt CO2 battery at the Coronado Generating Station in St. Johns. Like the Copper Crossing pilots, the CO2 battery runs 10 hours and advances SRP’s effort to diversify its battery storage portfolio. Google is funding a portion through a cost-sharing agreement, part of a broader SRP-Google collaboration on long-duration storage. Read SRP’s announcement.
Sunridge Power natural gas plant
The Sunridge Power natural gas plant goes before the Pinal County Board of Supervisors on June 17. The combined cycle facility would sit on a 164-acre site near Sasco Road and Coachway Road, southwest of Red Rock, on land already zoned CI-2 Industrial.
The proposal includes a Phase 1 unit of approximately 680 megawatts, with a potential Phase 2 expansion adding another 680 MW only if a long-term power contract materializes — bringing total capacity to approximately 1,360 MW. The project comes from Sunridge Power LLC, a Kindle Energy project.
In May, the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 9-0 with 23 stipulations. For background, see Pinal Post coverage of the Sunridge Power commission vote.
Hearing schedule
The Florence Town Council meets June 16 on the Copper Crossing land use amendment. The Pinal County Board of Supervisors meets June 17 on Copper Basin and Sunridge Power, plus a sign package for the already-entitled Palomino Ranch. The Planning and Zoning Commission meets June 18 on McLean Ranch, though staff recommends continuance.
