PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — The Pinal County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to reject the development of a massive solar facility north of Florence and east of San Tan Valley.
In an unanimous vote, the supervisors denied multiple agenda items in relation to the development of 8,122 acres for Silver King Energy Center, which would have produced a mix of solar and thermal energy.
The proposed facility was pitched as helping to diversify Pinal County’s economic base and transition Arizona toward “clean energy.”
“The energy provided by Silver King will help provide grid stability necessary to attract and retain the jobs in advanced manufacturing and high-tech firms projected for Pinal County,” a presentation on the project states.
Some residents opposed the project due to concerns about the abundance of solar panels ruining the desert landscape, while other spoke in favor of the job opportunities the project would potentially produce.
But some Pinal County board members expressed skepticism about devoting so much land to solar energy and expressed a wish to wait for a better project to come along.
County Supervisor Stephen Miller said he felt the pros and cons for the project were split evenly at “50-50.”
RELATED: Multiple data center projects approved by Pinal County officials
RELATED: Interstate 11 ‘one step closer’ to reality thanks to infrastructure funding
Watch 12News for free
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12+ app!
The free 12+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like “Today in AZ” and “12 News” and our daily lifestyle program, “Arizona Midday”—on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
12+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for “12 News KPNX.”
Amazon Fire TV: Search for “12 News KPNX” to find the free 12+ app to add to your account, or have the 12+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.
To stream 12News on your phone, you need the 12News app.
Next up in 5
Example video title will go here for this video
Next up in 5
Example video title will go here for this video
In Other News
