GLENDALE — The Glendale City Council has approved the annexation and rezoning for Project Eagle/Baccara, a data center campus paired with its own natural gas power plant in the West Valley, ABC15 reported.
The roughly 160-acre development near Litchfield Road and Olive Avenue includes three data center buildings on about 108 acres, a gas-fired power generation facility on roughly 33 acres and a future APS substation on about 12 acres. The power plant, known as Project Baccara, is expected to include 18 gas turbines.
The vote followed months of debate. Some nearby residents raised concerns about water use, noise, air quality, safety and the site’s proximity to homes and Luke Air Force Base.
Project representatives have said EPCOR, not the city, would provide water and wastewater service, and that the project’s cooling systems would use less water than the land did when it was farmed.
Glendale said annexation gives the city more oversight of the project’s look, including landscaping and fencing, and that it coordinated with Luke Air Force Base on compatibility. The Planning Commission had earlier recommended approval 4-2 with 11 stipulations.
The city estimates the project will create about 200 permanent jobs and bring in more than $150 million in direct revenue over 10 years. Construction is expected to start next month, according to the city.
Sources: ABC15. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Rsparks3 / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
