NextEra, SRP, Babbitt Ranches, Arizona State Land Department collaborating on wind power project for renewable energy future.
“In our efforts to support the delivery of renewable energy, we acknowledge the terrific and wonderful participation of so many businesses and government entities involved in the process to make this happen,” said Babbitt Ranches President and General Manager Billy Cordasco. “We appreciate the valuable input from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Arizona State Land Department, Coconino County and everyone involved in the Western CO Bar Legacy Conservation Community for the benefit of future generations.”
A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will build, own and operate the project, expected to generate enough power to support nearly 40,000 average-sized homes annually during the next 30 years and bring about $9.5 million in tax revenue to the region. The construction phase will provide a significant economic boost to Coconino County and the state, creating up to 250 construction jobs and stimulating the purchase of regional goods and services from local vendors.
“This wind energy project will generate low-cost, homegrown energy and provide millions of dollars in additional tax revenue to Coconino County over the life of the project,” said JD Rulien, director of development at NextEra Energy Resources. “We are pleased to work with SRP, Babbitt Ranches and the Arizona State Land Department on Arizona’s newest wind energy center.”
“SRP is proud of the diversity of our resource mix, especially among our growing portfolio of zero-carbon, clean energy resources,” said SRP Resource Planning Director Grant Smedley. “Utility-scale wind power at Babbitt Ranch Energy Center will complement solar resources by providing energy during evening and nighttime hours when solar energy is not available.”
Babbitt Ranches, one of the West’s longest running ranching operations, has been exploring renewable energy viability in Northern Arizona since 2005, measuring wind speeds and conducting solar power evaluations. In 2010, the land company signed agreements with NextEra, the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage, to explore locations on the ranch. A decade of environmental studies followed. The project proved to be viable and operational in the timeframe needed to help meet SRP’s growing customer demand by 2024.
The Babbitt Ranch Energy Center will co-exist with current land uses, including conservation projects, ranching, scientific research and recreation.
“Our relatives believed in a land-use ethic from the beginning, a forged ethic that continues to be at the heart of the Babbitt family and the family business owners’ decisions regarding Babbitt Ranches operations,” said Cordasco, a fourth generation Babbitt. “We are thrilled to be combining forces with others who share a strong commitment to the land, the environment and the future as we work together to generate renewable energy for generations to come.”
SRP was the first utility in Arizona to add wind power to its energy resource mix and continues to receive all energy output from the 127-MW Dry Lake Wind Power Project in Northeastern Arizona, the first large-scale wind power facility in the state. QCBN
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
Photo courtesy of Chad de Alva of LightForce Media: Babbitt Ranches became part of Arizona’s agriculture industry with 860 head of cattle 137 years ago and remains one of the West’s longest-running ranching operations. It began exploring Northern Arizona’s renewable energy viability in 2005. Today, it is the site of diverse and co-existing efforts, including renewable energy generation, landscape-scale conservation, recreation and space exploration, along with ranching.
