Commission Advances Griffin Energy Solar, Gas, and Battery Project for Data Centers

There's a very long back-story going back to a deal arranged by Mesa Deputy City Natalie Lewis to sell more than 11,000 acres of land owned by the City of Mesa that - surprise! - ended up in the hands of Saints Holdings LLC.

Nice buy: $135M 11,400+ ACRES

Watch where this story goes and note that the buyer in  2012, a company in Scottsdale, is now called Saints Holdings Company. They agreed to buy the land in three 5-year phases.

Let's do some numbers first: a recent city auction for 132 acres, without water rights, went for $21.1M (that's $5M above the appraised price) . . .or $159,848 per acre.

"According to Natalie Lewis, assistant to city manager Chris Brady, and also lead negotiator on the deal, Mesa purchased the land in 1985 for more than $29 million for its water rights to create a water farm.

Eventually, the city found more cost-effective means to provide the city water.

OH REALLY? DID THEY?
The city expected it would take 20 years or more to sell the land. But two years ago, PLH approached the city with interest in purchasing the land in phases over five years.

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PHOENIX—A deal for nearly $135 million and 11,400 acres was struck between the city of Mesa and Scottsdale-based Pinal Land Holdings LLC (PLH).
The land, to be purchased by PLH in three phases, is located between Coolidge and Eloy, making it an extremely attractive purchase for an entity interested in developing central Arizona. The property is currently used as farmland.

 “We chose this site for many reasons including the existing infrastructure, the current and planned transportation access and the existing sense of community born through its agricultural heritage. This really and truly is the center of Arizona,” said Jackob Andersen, PLH president. . . " 

 

 

"Griffin Energy" can refer to several different companies and projects, including

a proposed solar and gas energy project in Pinal County, Arizona, an international engineering and construction company with operations in the Middle East and Africa, or a Western Australian company that diversified from coal to other energy projects. The name is also associated with a separate US-based energy company specializing in energy solutions like audits and installations. 

Pinal Post 
Commission Advances Griffin Energy Solar, Gas, and Battery Project for Data Centers 

 

Griffin Energy in Arizona

• A 2,685-acre project between Stanfield and Casa Grande that combines solar panels, battery storage, and a natural gas plant, PinalPost.com reports.
• Proposed by Copia Power, the project is designed to power a data center and is in the process of obtaining final approval from the Pinal County Board of Supervisors

 

Pinal Post

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