TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Many neighbors in Three Points are opposing a solar farm proposed near Robles Junction along Ajo Highway that would take over 5,500 acres of desert.
The community gathered for another meeting Wednesday night, saying they will not go down without a fight.
Eric Andreasson has lived in Three Points for 26 years and serves on the steering committee for the Southern Arizona Open Space Alliance, the organization fighting Repsol's solar farm. He says Repsol has no idea how dedicated Three Points residents are and will stand their ground on opposition.
"They're just making possibly an assumption that we're just a bunch of hicks and rednecks out in the middle of nowhere and they don't understand that we chose to come out here on purpose to get away from all this stuff and yet they're gonna try and put this stuff all the way around us and they made a big mistake," Andreasson said.
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He says a solar company operating in Willcox is taking a different approach than Repsol by actively working with its surrounding community and being transparent.
"Very forward, very active, making donations, making maps, interactive with people, donating money to the city, they're annexing county land into the city to grow the city. It's totally opposite here. It's right in the middle of homes," Andreasson said. "It's right in the middle of our city, our area here. It's gonna cover 15% of Three Points and they're gonna take it from us, not help us grow."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Three Points community speaks on proposed solar farm
Andreasson and other neighbors are also worried about fire risk. His property sits in the southeast corner of the proposed project area, which would place the solar farm on two sides of his land.
"So we would have to go through the solar farm everyday anyway, through all the fences that they put up and whatever they end up doing to the roads," Andreasson explained. "But if there was a cascading fire of any kind, electrical fire, toxics, we'd be screwed. There's no way out to the north. We'd have to go through the solar farm."
READ MORE: 'Leave us alone': Three Points neighbors oppose potential solar farm
Repsol says the Three Points Solar Project, once operational, would generate enough electricity to power more than 124,000 Arizona homes annually. The company also says the project would bring hundreds of jobs to the area during construction and more money to local schools and the fire district.
Repsol says construction is currently scheduled to begin in 2027, with commercial operation set for 2029. However, C.J. Boyd, chief of staff for Pima County District 3, says Repsol has not yet submitted anything to the county.
"As soon as they actually make a proposal, as soon as they submit plans, we'll be able to say okay this is a problem, this is a problem, this is a problem and be more concrete in what it is we're opposing. I'm not saying anyone here shouldn't be doing exactly what you're doing. You're doing exactly the right thing as far as getting ready now," Boyd said.
For future community meetings and to stay updated on the project, visit Southern Arizona Open Space Alliance.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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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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