1,600-acre solar farm breaks ground in Buckeye, north of Tartesso

New York-based DESRI broke ground today on a 1,600-acre solar farm and battery storage energy system project known as “Catclaw” in the City of Buckeye.

According to officials, the project, which spans 1,600 acres and includes 205 megawatts of solar and 200 megawatts of storage, is expected to be operational by mid-2026. Located a few miles north of the Tartesso community, the clean energy project will serve APS customers and be a new source of local clean energy for the state. DESRI will own and maintain the project.

Members from the Buckeye City Council, executives from APS and DESRI were in attendance for the event.

City of Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn told attendees this project will support a massive community just north of the solar farm site.

“Just north of you, some of your neighbors, Teravalis, a 37,000-acre community will have 100,000 dwelling units in it when it is built out, and a population of 300,000,” he said. “That's one master plan community out on this side of the white tank mountains. This is a massive opportunity we're building into, and we're thankful for you all for investing in the city of Buckeye.”

Derek Seaman, Director of Resource Acquisition at APS, told attendees that DESRI’s project stood out among bid projects for customer cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. He also said it was a resource for generations to come.

“This solar and battery storage facility is more than just steel and silicon. It's a commitment to Arizona's future,” he said. “Through this project, we're bringing clean, affordable and reliable power to customers across the state. Thanks to the battery system, this project ensures that we can store our abundant Arizona sun and then dispatch it to our grid later, when our customers need it most.”

DESRI owns and operates about 70 solar and wind projects throughout the United States. It is currently constructing projects in 15 states.

David Zwillinger, co-founder and CEO of DESRI, said the project will also support data centers.

“Solar and storage are particularly helpful during extreme temperatures, and projects like Catclaw can accommodate the growing population in Arizona and the growth of industrialization and data centers that are significant drivers of energy demand," he said. "This is one of the largest data center support parcels with over 1.8 gigawatts nearby.”