TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — More than 100 people attended a community meeting Wednesday night to hear from Repsol, the solar energy company proposing a large-scale solar farm in Three Points.
The developer under Repsol, CG Three Points LLC, is proposing a 500-megawatt (MW) solar and battery storage project called Three Points Solar to cover 5,554 acres near Robles Junction along Ajo Highway.
Many neighbors like Melissa Tautimes oppose the project.
"It's horrible. They want to destroy our nature. They want to destroy the beauty that we have out here in Three Points. I mean, we move out here to have fresh air. We move out here to see the beauty, to see the stars at night, to see the moon and they want to destroy that with solar panels," Tautimes said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Three Points community speaks on proposed solar farm
Repsol representatives wouldn't speak with KGUN 9 on camera but did provide some information.
Once operational, Repsol says the Three Points Solar Project would generate enough electricity to power more than 124,000 Arizona homes annually. The company says the project would bring hundreds of jobs to the area during construction and more money to the schools and fire department.
Three Points neighbor Jessie Sager says she's not convinced.
"I don't believe any of the benefits. We have jobs out here. We have good jobs out here, and the ones that are not working out here, they're not working by choice. It's because they're retired," Sager said. "Or because they are disabled, we have an insane amount of veterans out here that moved away from the city in particular to get away from all of that stuff, and here they come following us out here."
The land in question belongs to the Arizona State Land Department, meaning the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) and it controls who uses it. I reached out to ASLD asking whether it has leased land to the solar company. The department said in part:
"No, we have not auctioned a lease for this application. Repsol has two applications at 3 Points in the early stages of their applications. The first application, 03-122658, was originally filed under the company name Connect Gen (CG) Three Points and submitted on October 4, 2021. The size was 3,828 acres. The second application was also filed under CG Three Points, LLC on May 16, 2023. The size was 1,726 acres."
ASLD adds, "Repsol submitted a draft cultural resource study covering both applications. Other than that, Repsol has not submitted any due diligence (application requirements)."
Repsol acknowledges the land is currently managed for grazing activities and what worries many farmers and residents in the area is that will be taken away from them.
"All of us get together and ride horses out here along the power line trail and stuff like that. I mean, where are we supposed to go? Are we supposed to dodge and duck and weave and hope to God that you know we're not in some forbidden zone. It's not OK. This is not OK," Sager says.
She adds that the habitat and animals will be affected.
"They're not taking this from us. They're not. And what about what about all the animals out here? What about the Gila monsters that are protected? What about the saguaros that are protected? What about the pineapple cactus that are protected? What about the tarantulas that are protected and the rattlesnakes that are protected?"
She's also concerned about the water usage because she says they are all on wells in Three Points.
Kristina Hernandez says she moved to Three Points in December for a reason and this was not it.
"It's really upsetting that the solar farm here, the company, it's people all the way from Spain, so they don't know our deserts, they don't know our sunsets, they don't know our wildlife. They don't know our water here within the Three Points community. Underground, it's so good, it's good water and they're like this close to poisoning it," Hernandez said.
"Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. And that is the message that I have for the solar company here at Three Points."
According to ASLD, the solar lease process has a lot of moving parts, that also include Pima County.
#9 in the lease process states:
"State Trust Land commonly has rural residential zoning and land use designations. Applicants should consult with the jurisdiction that governs zoning where the solar lease is requested to determine if rezoning or a use permit is required for the proposed use. If zoning is required, the applicant must secure zoning in advance of the lease auction. Please note that county zoning may take up to 18 months to achieve. As the landowner, ASLD authorization is required for any zoning and/or permit applications to the local jurisdiction."
Pima County District 3 Supervisor Jennifer Allen said the solar company has not submitted anything to the county yet. She said when it does, it will be a lengthy process.
"So my understanding is that the company continues to meet with county staff to understand what the process is, and based on that as well as hopefully based on the feedback from the community, they would then submit a proposal that outlines clearly on paper what they plan to do and where and how," Allen said. "And then that'll get it into the machine of county permits and zoning and approval processes."
She says what the community is doing now absolutely matters.
"So it is those fights that often make communities stronger and a whole lot more powerful about protecting what is valuable to them and ultimately what's valuable to the county," Allen said.
She says as this project proposal progresses, many parties will be involved.
"There will indeed be opportunities both for community to weigh in and there will be votes. I think from whether it's on the kind of zoning side and the board of supervisors," Allen mentioned.
Sager says her message to Repsol is loud and clear.
"We're not a bunch of ranchers that are stupid and dumb redneck hillbillies, we are all very educated, believe it or not, and we're out here for a reason, not because we didn't have a choice. We chose to live out here," Sager said. "Leave us alone. We don't want you out here, period."
The Three Points community is holding a follow-up meeting on August 19 at Serenity Baptist Church at 6 p.m. but that can change. For more information, visit saveroblesjunction.com.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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