Ørsted and SRP Launch 300MW Solar-Plus-Storage Project in Arizona

Danish renewable energy company Ørsted and US utility Salt River Project (SRP) have announced that their 300MW solar-plus-storage project in Pinal County, Arizona, is now operational.

The Eleven Mile Solar Center, located just south of Phoenix, features a co-located battery energy storage system (BESS) with a 4-hour duration and a capacity of 300MW/1,200MWh. This facility represents a significant step forward in integrating solar power with energy storage to enhance grid reliability.

Last December, technology giant Meta signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the project’s owners, securing the majority of the electricity generated. The renewable energy will power Meta’s data center in Mesa, with the remaining energy supplied to SRP customers in the region.

David Hardy, group executive vice president and CEO of Americas at Ørsted, emphasized the critical role of co-located solar PV and BESS in meeting rising electricity demand, especially in fast-growing areas like Arizona. “Arizona has one of the highest growth rates of electricity in the country due to the surge in data centers and the reshoring of American manufacturing. With our first project in Arizona now complete, we’re thrilled to help meet the growing demand of the state and region with reliable, domestic energy,” Hardy stated.

The Eleven Mile Solar Center represents a roughly US$1 billion investment in Arizona's clean energy future and is expected to generate around US$80 million in tax revenue for local public services.

The project also benefited the US economy by employing several domestic companies in its development, including US-based thin-film solar manufacturer First Solar, energy storage integrator Fluence, and PV tracker manufacturer Nextracker.

The project secured US$680 million in tax equity financing through JP Morgan, which helped fund both the Eleven Mile solar PV project and the 250MW Sparta solar project in Mineral, Texas.