The company proposing a solar farm on nearly 1,100 acres in Hidden Valley anticipates going online in mid- to late 2029, a representative said Wednesday.

Jordan A. Rose, an attorney with Rose Law Group in Scottsdale who represents Copia Power, the company that will own and operate the green-energy facility, said the project in the vicinity of Hidden Valley and Val Vista Roads works for the location.

“We believe the project fits well in the area in that it has a very low impact on the surroundings – virtually no traffic or water use,” Rose told InMaricopa yesterday.

The facility would generate enough clean energy to power 95,000 homes, he said.

Rose could not pinpoint how much Copia Power will invest in the project, but he said, “$500 million is typically invested to construct a 200-megawatt solar generation facility.”

The project is going through the first steps of development with Pinal County planners.

The solar farm project proposed by Phoenix developer Sawtooth Development Co. on behalf of Hidden Valley Ranch Partners is in the early Pinal County planning stages, seeking a “major comprehensive plan amendment” to change the land use allowed on the acreage from low-density residential to green energy production. County planners and leaders only consider such amendments once a year.

The first of a series of public hearings on the proposal takes place at 6 p.m. Sept. 5 before Pinal County Citizens Advisory Committee at the Ironwood Room at Pinal County Courthouse, 135 N. Pinal St. in Florence.

After that hearings will be conducted before the county Planning and Zoning Commission and the county supervisors.

Once construction commences, 450 people may be employed to build the facility, Rose said. Once operational, the facility could employ up to five full-time positions.

Copia Power is backed by Carlyle, one of the world’s largest global investment firms.

Copia formed in 2021 and is built from a team of industry veterans “with a strong record of success, coming from established renewable energy developers such as sPower, AES and Recurrent,” Rose said.

The project could generate up to 250 megawatts of power via photovoltaic solar generation and battery energy storage systems.

Rose said in general a renewable energy project can take three to five years to reach construction, sometimes more depending on the site and the size of the project.

“Before a project can start construction, the project will need to undergo environmental analysis and obtain all the necessary land rights, permits from local, state and federal agencies, an interconnection agreement from the interconnection provider and power purchase agreements to sell the power, among other major milestones during the development period,” he said. “Once construction commences, a project of this size may take 18 to 24 months to construct before the site is operational.”

Copia partners like the proposed site because of the access to existing electrical infrastructure. The site also avoids environmental concerns such as floodways, wetlands and important habitats.

Rose said Copia representatives found interest from the community and landowners who want to see the land preserved for low-traffic and low-water uses.

Many Hidden Valley residents oppose high-density housing growth.

Copia is currently constructing two projects west of Phoenix. The projects will be operational early next year, said Rose.