PC: KJZZ, a National Public Radio (NPR) member station based in Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona officials were set to decide on a proposed data centre development covering more than 3,000 acres of rural land near Eloy, after developer Vermaland reduced the planned campus by 80% following local opposition. The La Osa Energy Centre proposal includes 11 data centre buildings, an on-site gas-fired power plant and a battery energy storage system, with energy demand capped at 1 gigawatt. A National Public Radio (NPR) member station based in Phoenix, Arizona, the revised application also proposes limiting annual freshwater use to 600 acre-feet and introduces additional development conditions, according to KJZZ. At a public hearing in May 2026, Vermaland said it planned to reduce the scale of the development by 80% in response to community concerns. The revised zoning application specified that the company would not build more than 11 data centre buildings.
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors was due to consider the rezoning request on 26 August 2026. The revised proposal followed opposition from residents.
The developer also submitted 22 additional development conditions, which company officials said reflected feedback received during the lengthy May public hearing. In Page, residents were seeking to reverse the city council’s sale of 500 acres near Horseshoe Bend to a developer planning another data centre with a proposed capacity of 1 gigawatt. The revised proposal therefore included reporting requirements alongside the proposed annual limit on potable water consumption.
These reports could be shared with the public, according to KJZZ. The developer also said it would pay the full cost of generating and delivering electricity to the site once the project was connected to the grid. The revised development remained among several large-scale data centre projects under consideration in the state. The county would also receive annual reports detailing water use at the data centre campus and the on-site gas power plant. The project’s water use would additionally be subject to any conditions established by the final water provider. Vermaland stated that the development would generate its own electricity while waiting for a connection to the utility grid. The planned on-site gas power plant would have to comply with county-level emissions requirements. The La Osa proposal, meanwhile, remained subject to the Pinal County decision on its rezoning and site planning request.