Project Huckleberry
SRP supports long-term economic development in the communities it serves by providing reliable power to its customers.
On this page:
On related pages:
About the project
On Aug. 16, 2022, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted unanimously to approve a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) for Project Huckleberry. This project will allow SRP to construct a half-mile 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line and 230 kV substation to provide energy to a new data center for Meta located in Mesa, Arizona.
SRP received a request to provide energy to a new data center for Meta located in Mesa, Arizona. This project will require SRP to build an approximately half-mile 230 kV transmission line and substation to serve the data center located at the southeast corner of Elliot and Ellsworth roads. The data center continues the Phoenix area’s growth in the technology sector and is expected to support 200 high-wage jobs upon its completion and around 2,000 jobs during its construction. SRP supports long-term economic development in the communities it serves by providing reliable power to its customers.
We have notified customers, property owners and stakeholders about the proposed project.
SRP prepared an application seeking a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) and filed it with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). The CEC process included public hearings with the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee before seeking final approval from the ACC.
Why is this project needed?
On Aug. 12, 2021, Meta announced a development plan for its Mesa Data Center in Mesa, Arizona. The data center site is located on a 389-acre parcel of land at the southeast corner of Elliot and Ellsworth roads.
The Mesa Data Center is expected to create approximately 200 permanent high-tech, high-wage jobs and approximately 2,000 jobs during its construction. The development represents a continuation of technology sector growth in Arizona, especially data center growth for which the Phoenix area recently ranked second nationally.
SRP supports long-term economic development in the communities it serves by providing reliable power to its customers. The Mesa Data Center and other industrial customers in the area require SRP to provide reliable power to support their ongoing growth. SRP serves the electrical load in the area using a network of 69kV lines connect to three nearby 230kV stations located in the City of Mesa and the Town of Gilbert. Connecting the Mesa Data Center directly to SRP's 230kV system meets the customer's reliability needs while balancing demand across SRP's remaining 69kV network.
To meet the customer's December 2022 in-service date, SRP will serve the Mesa Data Center from the 69 kV system and build the new Prickly Pear 69 kV Switchyard. To meet the ultimate reliability and power quality requirements from Meta, Project Huckleberry will connect the data center to SRP's 230 kV transmission system. With the Prickly Pear 69 kV Switchyard in place, SRP intends to construct two 230 kV transmission circuits for the Mesa Data Center by April 2024. By utilizing the existing 69kV infrastructure to meet Meta's initial schedule request, the quantity of new required 230kV transmission circuits is reduced from three to two. As the primary beneficiary of Project Huckleberry, Meta is funding the cost of SRP's electrical infrastructure required to serve the Mesa Data Center.
Construction timeline
- Prickly Pear Substation and 230 kV Transmission Line Construction: February 2023
- Prickly Pear Substation and 230 kV Transmission Line In-Service: May 2024
Project maps
Project Study Area
Below is a map showing the Project Huckleberry components for which SRP received a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) approval for. Note that this is the total study area, which includes existing and planned construction for SRP infrastructure as well as customer owned facilities which was not included in the CEC application.
Project Details Map #1
The map below indicates (in green) the roughly half-mile transmission line and Substation that SRP received CEC approval.
Project Details Map #2
This map provides the same details (in green) of only the components that SRP received CEC approval for, but overlayed on a satellite based aerial image.
Transmission line structure types
Below are the transmission structure types that will be used for the project.
How electricity gets to you
Frequently asked questions
SRP received a request to provide energy to Meta's Mesa Data Center that will be located in Mesa, Arizona. To meet Meta's December 2022 in-service date, SRP will serve the Mesa Data Center from the 69 kV system, but to meet Meta's ultimate reliability requirement, Project Huckleberry will connect the data center to SRP's 230 kV transmission system. Serving the customer from the 230 kV transmission system allows SRP to not only reduce the amount of additional 69 kV lines that would have been required to provide the same amount of power, but also meets the customer's reliability needs.
The proposed project will be a double-circuit 230 kV transmission line that is approximately 0.5 mile in length from the point of interconnection (a physical location along the certificated Southeast Power Link Transmission Line) to the proposed Prickly Pear 230 kV Substation located on Meta's property. The transmission poles will support spans ranging from 200 to 700 feet. The average height of these poles will be 150 feet and special circumstances could require taller structures that would not exceed 199 feet.
SRP has an obligation to serve its customers with low-cost and reliable power. Overhead transmission lines are SRP's standard form of construction. Overhead lines meet SRP's dual objectives to provide low-cost and reliable power to all of its customers. In general, underground transmission lines cost roughly 10 times more than overhead lines. SRP will place overhead lines underground when a third party funds the additional cost.
Generally, transmission lines are not considered to be a material factor in the determination of property values. There are many variables to consider in the valuation process. Because each home is different, an appraiser would have to consider the home itself (e.g., square footage, age, condition) along with its unique characteristics (e.g., carport, two-or three-car garage, pool or no pool, lot size). The appraiser also would consider current market conditions of the neighborhood and its unique amenities (e.g., quality of schools, available retail shopping, restaurants, parks, other recreational amenities, ease of access via freeways and local streets). Given the number of variables to evaluate in the appraisal process and because this process is specific to each individual property, SRP is unable to address a request relating to a specific parcel.
Throughout the siting process, SRP encourages comments from the public through our dedicated information line and at the open house or by written comments submitted through our website. The Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) process includes a public hearing before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee (LSC). During the hearing before the LSC, the LSC will accept public comments, typically on the first evening of the hearing. Once the LSC decides whether to issue a CEC for the project, the CEC is referred to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), which then considers whether to affirm, deny or modify the CEC during an open meeting a minimum of 30 days after the LSC hearing ends.
The LSC hearing and the ACC Meeting are open to the public. Details of the hearing and the public comment session can be found here.
News archive
See the latest project news and announcements below.
Hearings for SRP Application for Transmission Line and Substation to Serve Meta Data Center
Salt River Project submitted an application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) for "Project Huckleberry." The ACC’s Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee will consider the application at a public hearing beginning on June 27, 2022, at 1 p.m. at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Phoenix Mesa at 200 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ, 85201.
Read moreSRP Announces Proposed Mesa-Based Half-mile Transmission Line and Substation to Serve Meta Data Center
SRP today announced a proposed half-mile 230 kV transmission line and substation to serve energy to a data center being built for Meta (formerly Facebook), located in Mesa, and slated to be fully operational by 2024.
Read moreContact us
If you have questions about the project call (602) 236-2872 or email 2872line@srpnet.com.
