Pinal County Board Rejects La Osa Data Center Project Near Eloy, Arizona
Pinal County supervisors rejected a proposed 3,400-acre data center near Eloy, Arizona. The decision followed significant opposition from rural residents concerned about high water consumption and potential contamination from PFAS chemicals in the facility's closed-loop water system.
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors has rejected the proposed 3,400-acre La Osa data center project near Eloy, Arizona. The decision came after significant public outcry and active opposition from hundreds of rural residents who packed planning meetings and the final board vote.
The project, owned by Phoenix-based developer Kuldi Verma through his commercial real estate company Vermaland, was projected to include 11 data center buildings, a 500-megawatt natural gas plant, and battery energy storage systems, capable of generating 1 gigawatt of energy. However, it was not yet licensed to any specific tech company.
Opposition, spearheaded by groups like Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE), focused on environmental and energy concerns, particularly the data center's projected annual water consumption of nearly 196 million gallons. Activists also raised alarms about potential groundwater contamination from PFAS chemicals used in the proposed closed-loop water system. Antonio Ramirez, political and policy director for RAZE, highlighted the risk of contaminated water being injected back into the ground, threatening local water supplies.
Despite developer concessions, including scaling back the project by 80% and capping water consumption, the Pinal County supervisors ultimately voted down the La Osa project 4-1, reflecting the strong community pushback.